The Oncoming Storm
by thedratinifarmer
Summary: After the Hakurei Border starts to break down, the outside world learns of Genskoyo's existence. Seeing the outside descend into world war, Yukari Yakumo and Remiu Hakurei resolve to use modern weapons to protect the land they love. Outside the barrier, Renko Usamai helps Maribel Hearn uncover more of her powers and her connection to Yukari.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

It was cold today. Both the weather and the mood of the city didn't feel welcoming. There was the noise of a city, but no warmth from all the people on their daily business. Maribel Hearn and Renko Usami were surprised at how different New York City was in person than from the movies and television shows that they grew up with. They were near Times Square when they came across a newsstand. Maribel bought the day's newspaper. On this one, the front page headline was what popped out at them. Classified CIA documents leaked about Gensokyo campaign. The article went on to explain that the Central Intelligence Agency's security had been compromised when a secure document was sent to every major newspaper on the east coast. The document detailed the weaponry being used by Gensokyo. It was a mix of modern, outdated, and even experimental weapons. There was also a picture of what was cited as a Russian SU-47 Berkut fighter taken during a reconnaissance mission.

"Reading about the war, huh?" Maribel and Renko jumped but relaxed when the newsstand owner laughed. "I didn't mean to scare both of you like that. You two don't look like you're from around here. Where you two from?"

Renko thought fast. "We're students from South Korea."

"South Korea, huh? My brother's stationed over there. Anyway, what do both of you think about the war?"

"We have been hearing a lot of different things. We really don't know what to believe." Maribel said.

"I know the feeling. Nobody ever heard about this Genskoyo place before any of this. Now we're at war with them. And I don't even know what's with the place. The news said that monsters walk around, people fly like birds, and that there's magic there. Sounds like something from a kids show. Something like My pink pony or something. But let me tell you this. I have never seen friendship turn someone into a frog. So where's the magic in that?"

Maribel and Renko sneak a quick glance at each other.

"Anyway, one morning I'm eating breakfast and watching the news when I see them announce that we're invading Gensokyo. It was going to be a fast run and everyone will be home by Christmas and some other stuff. And we're not the only ones there. To think such a small place can hold almost every other country off like that...".

The rush of lunch hour cut his train of thought as he had to attend to other customers. Maribel folded up the newspaper and put it into her purse. Renko adjusted her hat, hiding the fact that she was scanning the surrounding crowds. She had her hand in her purse, absentmindedly holding a Colt .45 pistol hidden there. Satisfied that they were not being watched, Renko lead Maribel to a pizzeria near the giant televised screen. On the way, a Marine in dress uniform flashed Maribel a smile that caused her to blush. Renko just smiled and shook her head. After they arrived and were eating, they watched the 24 hour news broadcast on the small television above the counter. Renko was the first one to break the silence.

"So far, nobody seems to really know why all of this is happening. Just that a strange land appeared and almost every nation on the planet is attacking it. And they know what kind of weapons we're using. But, I still can't figure out how they can attack."

Maribel nodded, "That's the main problem isn't it? Why did Gensokyo just appear, the barrier should have kept it hidden. Either Lady Yukari doesn't know, or it seems like she doesn't want to tell anybody. The latter seems more likely."

Renko was taking a sip from her soda when something attracted her attention. She saw a glint of light and when she looked closer, it came off a pistol partly hidden under a man's jacket. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and her mind went almost completely blank. Just one thought remained, to protect Maribel and get to the extraction point. From that thought, multiple scenarios were tested and rejected. Maribel noticed her best friend stiffen and knew something was up. She looks out the window and notices the man in the reflection. He reaches to touch his ear and moves his mouth. Deciding to plan for a quick escape, she sends a quick text message. The next few seconds seem to last for minutes until her phone vibrates. She sees a number and gives Renko a discreet nod. Acting as normal as possible, they leave the restaurant and head away from the square. Walking in seemingly random directions for ten minutes seems to have shaken their tail off. They make their way to a certain spot in a subway maintance hallway while looking behind. Seeing the coast is clear, Maribel dials a number. A purple gap appears and a kitsune walks out. She bows to the pair.

"So, have you completed your objective?"

Renko nods. "We managed to find out more than we expected. I have some papers that Lady Yukari would be interest in seeing."

Before Ran Yakumo could respond, a bullet flies past her head and creates sparks as it ricochets off the wall next to her. Running towards them is the man from the restaurant, along with a group of soldiers in full battle gear.

"STOP! Stop or we will fire on you!"

"A little too late for that, isn't it?" Ran snarls.

Renko pulls out her Colt and fires a few shots as she guides Maribel into the gap. As she gets into the gap, she squeezes Renko's hand comfortingly. Renko returns the gesture and gives her the same promise that the always do when in danger, the promise of coming back alive. The shots purposely miss because Renko knows Maribel is still uneasy with the possibility of killing a person. Ran pulls out a Heckler and Koch G36 and drops to a knee. She sprays bullets and forces the soldiers to duck behind the pillars on the sides of the hallway. They return fire but can't aim due to the volume of bullets. Unlike the bullets coming towards them, the ones that Renko and Ran shoot are bright blue with white cores. Once she makes sure Renko and Maribel are safely in the gap, Ran jumps back in. The gap immediately closes, leaving a very angry National Security Agent and a team of soliders in a hallway.


	2. Chapter 2

_One year earlier..._  
It was a nice spring day at the Hakueri Shrine. The shrine maiden of paradise, Remiu Hakueri was performing her regular duties, which mainly involved sweeping and drinking tea. She would have preferred to have been alone, but as usual, her closest friend, the ordinary magician, Marisa Kirisame, had decided to come over and pester her. Lunch time finally came around, so Marisa volunteered to make some miso stew. Remiu knew that the witch usually didn't offer to make lunch, she usually shared what Remiu ate. They sat there, enjoying the spring air and idle chatter. Neither of them brought up the uneasy feeling in the pits of their stomachs.

Over at the Yakumo household, Yukari Yakumo's faithful servant, Ran Yakumo was spending a rare free afternoon solving complex math problems. Since she had to deal with her master's usually vague and confusing orders, having something as absolute as math was a great way to unwind. Her natural skill at math also helped. As part of an earlier errand, she had to visit the Kourindou item shop. While she was there, she had spotted an aged textbook that called out to her. When she inspected it, she discovered it was a textbook about projectiles from the outside world. It had calculations for bullets, artillery rounds, and various other weapons. She was intrigued and was able to barter for it. The kitsune was amazed at how much math was required just for little pieces of metal to hit a particular space. Being the math genius she was, she had memorized every formula after half a day of reading. Reading the book, she wondered if there would be any chance at all to put what she learned to a practical application.

Unbeknownst to her servant, Yukari Yakumo was concerned. She felt something off about the Hakueri Barrier. But, every time she had went to inspect it herself, there were no faults. Yukari had also been sensing a atmosphere of unrest from the outside world. She know that the outside was always on edge but, this felt different. It felt as if it were a warning. The youkai of boundaries had always known that the barrier would not last forever and had planned for it. The one thing that she had not accounted for was her attachment. She had originally planned to create another paradise. Now, she would defend this land with her last breath. This would mean that all of her plans would have to change. After a few minutes of thinking, she knew what she had to do. Her first step would to take a little field trip.

To Rinnosuke Morichika, reading a book was the best thing to do in spring. That would be exactly what he would be doing if he hadn't had found a long wooden box when he returned from the village. It had strange writing on the side and was somewhat heavy. The shopkeeper had attempted to pry it open with his hands but ended up having to use the sword that he had bartered from Marisa so long ago. What he found inside made him pause. It was a long piece of wood with metal in the middle. The wood was a dark brown. There was a sling going from the front to the back. There were ten of them, alternating facing the left and right. Rinnosuke pulls one out and inspects it. Somehow, he knew not to point the open end at anything he cared about. He brings it up to and sees that there is a knob that he can move. He messes with it and when he opens and closes it, it makes a noise that promises power. Then it hits him. He remembers reading a book about outside technology. About how they fight without magic. He lays the thing on the table and searches for the book. After a few minutes, he finds it and opens it to the page he remembers. He was right, this was a rifle. A weapon developed to fight from a distance without using magic. And this was not any ordinary rifle. It was known as a Mosin Nagant rifle. He was amazed by it's history. According to Hieda no Akyuu, Gensokyo was founded in the year 1885. The design of this rifle went back all the way to 1891. He decided to keep this under warps for now. He was afraid that if any of them got out in Gensokyo's present state, it would not be pretty. He was sure that there was no ill will, but he wasn't ready to risk it. That left one more question, why would something like this cross the barrier?

It was rare for vampires to be up at this time of the day. But Remilia Scarlet wasn't just any regular vampire. As the head of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, she didn't have to follow any rules. But, ever since the Scarlet Devil Incident, she had been more willing to follow the norms of Gensokyo. Every time Remilia looks back at that incident, she smiles a little. Enjoying a cup of midday tea in her dining room, she remembers every detail of that incident. It was the first time she could use spell cards without having to quit because her opponent either ran away in terror or lost interest and began to fly around in slow circles. And while she was unable to block out the sun permanently, it still solved a very disturbing problem. One that involved her head maid, Sakuya Izayoi. While Sakuya had always been pleasant to the inhabitants of the mansion, she had been cold towards others.

_Years before..._  
Being defeated by the shrine maiden in front of her master, she had expected a severe punishment. When Remilia pulled her to the side after being defeated herself, Sakuya had felt her heart drop. For the first time in years she felt tears in her eyes and dropped to her knees. What happened next surprised her. Remilia, instead of dealing the expected punishment, embraced her. After a few minutes, her master pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears away. She then leaned in so their foreheads were resting against each other.

"Sakuya, you don't have to worry about anything. They're not going to kill us like that angry mob wanted to when we had to leave France. Not all humans are like that. I know you did your best. You always do. I saw you trying to fight Remiu off. You pushed yourself so much. But you're still human. You're the same as that shrine maiden and that magician. I want you to promise that you'll do your best to get to know both of them. It'll be good for you. Right now, all you know are youkai. Don't worry, I'm not letting you go. I can't let such a great maid get away. Are you fine with this?"

Throughout Remilia's speech, Sakuya was in a state of shock. Then she realized that her master was wanting her to be happy. To be able to stand by her side and to remember why she had wanted to stay human. She nodded. Remilia smiled and helped Sakuya stand back up. The vampire fixed the maid's hair and gave her a second embrace.

"Remember that promise you made me? The one about always being there for me?"

Sakuya nodded.

"I'm going to hold you to it. Now, come on. We're going to need my parasol. Remiu's having tea back at her shrine and we're both invited."

With a renewed vigor, Sakuya gave a quick curtsy and went to retrieve the parasol.

_The present_  
Remilia was pulled out of her flashback by a friend's arrival. The One-Week Wizard, Patchouli Knowledge, took the seat next to her. She had her usual book with her but had a troubled look on her face.

"What's wrong, Patchy? You're not one to be bothered by anything."

"Something has been feeling off lately. Alice was over earlier and said the same thing. It seems most of the youkai have been feeling the same way. There's rumors saying that it's the barrier but that red-white should have already done something about it."

"So it's even more obvious than I thought," an unexpected voice said.

Surprised, Remilia jumps out of her chair and jumps away from the voice. Patchouli is too busy having a coughing fit to do anything else. Standing before them is Yukari Yakumo. She has her parasol off to the side with multiple knives sticking out of it and has a very surprised maid behind her. Sensing no bad intent from the gap youkai, Remilia relaxes and Sakuya recovers her knives.

"Forgive my intrusion but I'm on a tight schedule today. And we really need to talk." Yukari creates a small gap and throws her parasol into it. "So what do you say?"

Regaining her aristocratic upbringing, Remilia offers her a seat and returns to sipping her tea. Sakuya serves them a fresh batch and leaves a plate of strawberry tea cookies.

"You usually don't visit us, Yukari. Last time you needed something, we ended up on the moon." Remilia shrugged. "But I will admit that it was interesting."

"This time, it's a little more serious than just a little moon trip. You and Patchouli have already noticed that something is wrong with the barrier. My inspections have not revealed any problems. So I wanted to offer you some advice and some instructions." She leaned forward. "We all know that the outside world is not at it's best right know. There is an atmosphere of war around the entire planet. If something were to happen to the barrier, there would be nothing to stop the outside from coming into Gensokyo. If that were to ever be the case, the spell card rules would be a hindrance."

Remilia scowled. "Are you telling us that we may have to disregard spell cards? Have you told Remiu about this?"

"She doesn't need to know about this yet. There is still a chance that the barrier will hold. But I would like to plan for every eventuality."

"And if the spell card rules don't work, what then?"

"Humans have advanced past the stage of using bows and arrows. While we can't exactly be killed by their weapons as they are right now, they still have that knowledge somewhere. The main point is that we may have to learn how to use their weapons against them to even out the odds." Yukari pulled out a book from a gap. "Here's a gift. I got this book the last time I went to the outside world. It details many of what we can expect if worse comes to worse."

It was a field manual. It was over four inches thick. Patchouli began to flip through it and sometimes would frown even more.

Yukari stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality. I wish I could stay but, I have other stops to make before the end of the day. Should this get worse, I want to be able to call upon this household. Can I do that?"

Remilia nodded. "I suppose. If something were to happen, the Scarlet Devil Mansion may be in danger as well."

"With that, I will take my leave." Yukari did a small bow and disappeared into a gap.

Langley, Virginia, United States

Two bored looking men were sitting in front of multiple screens. They had boxes of Chinese take out in front of them and were paying more attention to a tablet instead of the satellite images behind it. They only looked up when an alarm went off.

"I hope it's not another bird going on the dish. I am not cleaning that up."

"I'll rock, paper, scissors you for not doing it."

"Deal...hold up. Take a look at this."

The screen was showing a remote region in northern Japan. What had triggered the arm were small dots moving quickly above the region. One of the technicians flips the switch and converts the image to thermal. They zoom in and are astonished at what they find. They see that the dots are human shaped and are too fast to be walking. They are coming up to a ravine and just move over it. The twists and turns they make are impossible for someone walking.

"What is this, I don't even..."

Then they were even more surprised when a large heat blast came from one of those dots. Seeing this one of the men takes the top off of his drink and smells it. He then places it under his partner's nose.

"What are you doing?"

"Just smell it. Does it smell like alcohol? I swear I been clean, man."

"Get that back on the desk. We need to send this up higher. They probably got a better idea of what this is then we do." He checks the data readout. "That was some high energy. I don't think you can get that much energy without a jet engine or something. Let me see if I can see what this dot is."

The screen became blurry then sharpened. The two men received their third surprise of the night.

"Is that a...a witch on a broom!?"


	3. Chapter 3

Yukari had just finished having tea at Hakugyokurou when she decided to go on a walk with her best friend, Yuyuko Saigyouji. Both of them were enjoying the cherry blossoms when they felt someone watching them. Yukari takes a discrete glance around her but doesn't spot anything. She reaches in a gap and takes out a spyglass. She looks up at the sky and sees a faint haze. Beyond that haze, she can barely make out something moving. She stares at it and recognizes it. She wore a sad smile on her face as she put away the instrument. Yuyuko sees this and sighs, "So, it's happening faster than you thought. Have you finished your preparations?"

Yukari nodded. "I did what I could. But I still need to talk to Reimu and Marisa. The tengu and the kappa didn't see it at first but came around. The Moriya shrine figured it out before I finished explaining it to them. The Lunarians in the Bamboo Forest are ready to contribute what they can. Everyone else still needs more time, but should be ready before all of this falls. It's too bad that the barrier is failing faster than I expected. "

"You do know that the Yama is not going to be happy about this. She's probably going to lecture both of us when she founds out."

"Those lectures are for your own good. And I wish one of you would have told me before it was already underway."

"Speak of the devil, and she shall appear." Yukari bowed slightly. "I was going to tell you but there was tea and cookies and I lost track of time."

Eiki Shiki, the highest judge of paradise, shook her head. "I swear, Yukari, you lie almost as much as Marisa does. But I'm not here to lecture either of you tonight. I know that the barrier will be gone soon. And I know that the outside world will probably attack Gensokyo. The other yamas have already spoken to me about this. They want us to disperse before this happens."

"What about you, Lady Shiki?" Yuyuko had to address Eiki formally because she was technically her superior.

"I'll say this: Gensokyo has existed as a paradise for more than 150 years. Even in that short of time, both humans and youkai have learned how to coexist and love this land. While the other yamas want to avoid bloodshed, they want us to avoid it like cowards. I cannot do that. I have come to love this land as well. I know that the consequences of this are going to be tough. But as a yama, I must do what is right. So, you can count me and the rest of Higan in for the long run."

Yukari bowed her head again. "While I am grateful for your help, won't this put you at odds with the other yamas?"

"I'm not worried about that now. If there's no Gensokyo, then who am I supposed to judge? Am I supposed to turn back into a statue? If I have to, at the end of this conflict, I'll turn in my letter of resignation from the office of the yamaxanadu. But, that will be after I can be sure that Gensokyo is safe."

This was the one thing that Yukari least expected. It was common knowledge that her job was the only thing Eiki loved. She could do without the hat, the Rod of Remorse, but not being able to do what she loved was another matter entirely. Her job was not just about lecturing sinners, it was about helping them avoid the fires of hell and making a difference. It was what made her who she was. Even on her breaks and vacations, she still did her best to lead misguided souls to enlightenment. To be willing to put even that on the line meant that she understood how serious this incident was. Yukari couldn't help but step forward and embrace her.

"Thank you. I know this is a lot for you. But, I only want this on one condition."

It was Eiki's turn to be surprised.

"I want your word that, after this is over, you keep your office. I may not have met any other yamas, but I think everyone would prefer to have one that they know, rather then one that might not care as much as you do. I will admit that we don't like being lectured but, deep down we know that you're right. And I will give you my word that I would do whatever it takes to help you if the other yamas take exception to this."

Langley, Virginia, United States

Meetings weren't usually the worst part of the day. Even for the Chief of Staff of the Central Intelligence Agency, waking up and dragging himself out of bed every morning was the worst part. Even with coffee, it never got any better. But, today was different. The Director and deputy director were both late for their early morning meeting. Normally, he would have complained, but a box of powdered donuts kept him quiet. He was almost through the 12 pack when the missing links appeared. The Associate Deputy Director was playing on his cell phone and was visibly annoyed to having to stop. The Director cleared his throat, "Gentlemen and Gentlewomen, I received a very unusual report on my desk this morning."

The rest of the room paid polite attention but were more focused on the snacks on the table. The Director pulled a flash drive out of his pocket and inserted it into his computer. He brought up a file on the projector. "About one week ago, two technicians on the night shift reported high amounts of energy coming from a area in the northern region of Japan. Upon further investigation, they saw what they could only describe as a witch."

The room was silent. Everyone was expecting some sort of punchline but none came. "All of you heard right. A witch. The ones that wear big hats and fly around on brooms and cast magic and all of that great stuff. I would have told those two to take a few days off if is wasn't for this data."

He brought up a recording of a satellite image.

"As you can see, these dots are human sized and are not hampered at all by the thick vegetation of the area. In just a few seconds you will see a high amount of energy being released from one of the dots." He paused so they could pay attention when it happened. "After I reviewed this, I took the liberty of asking the Air Force to fly a drone over the area to make sure it wasn't just some college prank. It found what looked to be a haze over the area and something else." Images from the reconnaissance appeared on the computer. One stood out the most, this one was of what appeared to be two women looking up at the camera. One had a what looked like an antique telescope and was wearing a white ruffled dress. The other had a blue dress and what appeared to be lights around her.

"To be able to spot a drone at night that high up is almost impossible. We would have been able to get more pictures but there was something interfering with the drone. The Air Force has assured me that there was nothing wrong with the drone. That leaves only one explanation: there is someone that doesn't want to be seen in that area. We have asked the Japanese government about that area but they say that it is just wilderness. They cite legends of monsters as the reason that area is deserted. Then we have this next image."

This one showed what appeared to be two large snakes. There was something that looked like a person with a ring of rope behind them in between them. Facing then was another person with could only describe a high energy sword.

"I can't really explain this. Our detection of other high energy and radiation indicates that there is a credible threat. Our next step is to brief the president on this and see if we can get boots on the ground. He'll probably want to go the diplomatic path. I still want operatives in the middle of this. However, we're going to be on a tight schedule. If we could see this, everyone else can too. The last thing we need are the North Koreans or the Russians taking advantage of this. This amount of radiation can only come from a power source. So here's the underlying point. There could be another unchecked nuclear power on the planet. One that we may have to deal with. May God help us if it's another whack job dictator like North Korea's."


	4. Chapter 4

Back in Gensokyo, Reimu was waiting for her water to heat up. A cup of tea always made time go by faster. Since Marisa was off vising Flandre Scarlet, Reimu didn't have to worry about half of her food disappearing. Naps were always great after a cup of tea. When a gap opened in front of her, she barely stopped herself from throwing needles into it out of annoyance.

"Dammit, Yukari. Why do you always have to come by to ruin a perfectly good nap?"

"You were taking a nap? Don't you usually have a bit of drool on the side of your face when you fall asleep?"

Reimu couldn't stop herself from blushing in embarrassment and anger. She turned away and began to wipe at the side of her face. "How do you know I drool? I mean, I don't drool. Not that I've ever drooled before in my life. Never. Have you been watching me when I sleep!?"

"Aw, you're so cute when you're like that. And even more cuter when you're asleep. Anyway, we need to talk. It has something to do with the barrier." Yukari's face darkened. "It might not last too much longer."

Reimu stopped her sputtering. "The barrier feels find to me. And I'm still here." Her eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you been messing around with the barrier again. Ever since that spring incident-"

"The spring incident was different. I messed with that because Yuyuko asked me to. There was no real danger. I told you all this before, remember? I've been having a strange feeling about the barrier. I've inspected it a few times and haven't found anything wrong. I thought it was nothing, and it really seemed like it. Until a few nights ago. Yuyuko and I were out for a walk when I found evidence that the outside world could see us. If they can see us, then the barrier won't be able to keep them out for much longer. I'm surprised that you haven't noticed anything yet."

"I noticed. I had a feeling in my gut, but I thought it was that bird that Marisa cooked the other day. So what now? If there's no barrier, then won't Gensokyo cease to exist?"

"The land we're on won't disappear. We'll still be here. It really won't be any different except for the fact that anybody can just walk here. But what I'm worried about are the people outside. They have advanced a lot since Gensokyo was sealed off. But they still fear anything different. Look around you, Reimu. All of your friends, the vampires, the ghosts, the Lunarians, all of them are different. You're different. Do you think we'll all be accepted with open arms? There is a lot of conflict outside, and we will be drawn into it. Especially with that crow youkai underground."

"You talking about Utsuho, aren't you? What does she got to do with this?"

"The outside world is very suspicious of nuclear power. Only a handful of people have access to it. And they really don't like sharing it. And I wouldn't put it past them to know that we have nuclear power, too. They may come to take it by force. We have to be ready."

"We have the spell card rules. So we should be good, right?"

Yukari shook her head sadly. "They don't play by the spell card rules out there. They have weapons that will kill. And they don't hesitate to use them. Right know, we're at a disadvantage. Since you're the one that really controls the spell card rules, I wanted you to know that we can't relay on it if this happens."

"Then what? What could we possibly have to defend against this? It's not like we can use magic to kill."

"That's exactly what we have, Reimu. We're going to have to use our magic to kill. The youkai won't have any problems with this. But I know all the humans will. That's why I have something else. I know that Kourindou has got a shipment of just what we need."

One gap field trip later...

Rinnosuke couldn't catch a break. But it wasn't all bad. Even though he was a little afraid that Flandre would have crushed him without a second thought, she really was a nice kid when it finally came down to it. He was sure that as long as she kept herself under control, that she would get to know more people. As soon as they left, the shopkeeper had started to lay back. He was smiling a little because of Flandre telling him to stop at the mansion anytime he wanted. So much for the fearsome image of vampires, he thought. How can she be so friendly when her sister-

"Rinnosuke, you got two customers standing in front of you and you're off daydreaming", a familiar voice rang out.

He almost fell out of his seat but wasn't surprised to see Remiu and Yukari in front of him. He sighed and put his book down. At this rate, he would never finish. "You just missed Marisa and Flandre. They're heading back to the Scarlet Devil Mansion if you want to catch up with them."

"We're here for something else." Yukari had a smile that Rinnosuke found somewhat disturbing. "We're here to see that crate you found a few days ago."

He could have slapped himself. How could he have forgotten who was in charge of the barrier? "So it was you. You're the one that brought that crate over the barrier. What exactly do you plan on doing with those rifles?"

Remiu was confused by all of this. "You promised me an explanation, Yukari. Is this what's going to replace the spell cards?"

"Rinnosuke, why don't you be a gentlemen and bring that crate out here for us?" Yukari added a wink for good measure.

The besieged shopkeeper could only sigh as he went to the back. When he returned, he had a large crate on his right shoulder. Yukari opened a gap and pulled out a dark green metal box. She opened it and took out small pointed metal cylinders. She then went to the crate, opened it and pulled out one of the rifles. "I think we should do this outside."

She leads Reimu and Rinnosuke outside and looks around. She sees a tree about 500 yards away. "Remiu, do you see that knot on that tree down there?"

It takes the shrine maiden a few seconds to make it out. At that distance, it was almost too small to see. She nods and looks at the rifle in Yukari's hands. The gap youkai smiles and puts one of the bullets in the rifle. "What I put into this rifle is called a bullet. This is what they use in the outside world to fight at long distances. This weapon will kill most humans with one hit. Youkai can take a bit more shots to go down, but will feel terrible pain. Remember that knot over there? I going to hit it with one shot. But first..." She reaches into another gap and pulls out what looks like a long knife. "This is what's called a bayonet. Whenever someone would get too close, this rifle can be used as a spear. It also makes it more accurate." With some trouble, she manages to attach and twist it. She brings the rifle up to her shoulder. "Both of you may want to cover your ears for this."

Rinnosuke covers his ears but Remiu doesn't. She can't see how a piece of metal with a knife and cylinder would want her to cover her ears. It's not like it's going to sing or-

BOOM

Remiu could only stand in shock as the rifle basically exploded. Out at the end away from Yukari, a huge fireball appeared, it was strong enough to cause a shock wave to appear in front of her. Her ears were ringing so she couldn't really hear what Yukari was saying. After a few more seconds, it finally went away.

"I told you to cover your ears didn't I? Didn't you notice how careful I was with this thing? Now do you understand what we're dealing with? Take a look at that knot down there. Go on, you'll have to get closer to see."

Remiu flew closer to the tree and saw that the knot had a hole dead center. It had gone straight through. Yukari landed next to her. She still had the rifle. Remiu couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it. Here, have a go at it." She handed Remiu the rifle. "Hold it like this." She stepped behind Remiu and adjusted her stance. The shrine maiden couldn't help but blush at how close Yukari was. It helped her get over the uneasiness too. Yukari whispered, "Keep a firm grip on the front. When you pull the trigger, do it gently. Try it now. Don't worry, it can't fire until we cycle the bolt." She opened the bolt and Reimu jumped when the shell casing was ejected. "Don't be so jumpy, Remiu." Yukari placed a new round in the chamber. She closed the bolt and guided Reimu's hands. "Now try to fire the shot." Since Reimu knew what to expect, she was better able to handle the shock wave and fireball. The rifle did kick against her shoulder a bit, but it was a lot less then she expected. She then cycled the bolt herself.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it? What do you think?" Yukari took the rifle from Reimu.

"It's strong. So we just aim and shoot?"

"That's about it. The crate has ten, and I can get more. I'm planning on arming most of the areas around here. The kappa probably know how to modify some more weapons when I get it to them. And we do need someone to keep track of them."

Rinnosuke knew he couldn't get away. But, he was interested in all of the technology from the outside world. He nodded and went back towards his shop.

Situation Room, White House, Washington, DC, United States

It was quiet all around the table. All eyes were on the screen at the very front. On that screen were readouts and maps. The Director of the CIA was pacing in front of the screen, armed with a laser pointer. "That's the extent of all of our information. Since the Japanese government don't know anything about the area, I suggest that we get them to allow us to send our investigators in. We all know that Japan is a responsible nuclear power, but since they claim not to know anything, that may be a problem."

The Secretary of State stood up. "I hope your not suggesting that we ask all of our allies for detailed information about every little thing. Do you know what kind of international incident that could cause? Out foreign policy would take a severe hit. Most everybody is suspicious of us already."

This time the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff hopped in. "We all now that Japan is one of our closest allies. They are a proud and honorable people. I don't see them lying to us about something like this. They know that we can find out as soon as that thing comes online. We have to be open to the possibility that maybe another entity has created nuclear power in that area. You did say that the area was deserted."

"Fine points all around, gentlemen." The room's temperature fell dramatically. It was the CIA director that was speaking. And he was going to remind everyone in the room why he was the United State's spymaster. "Recently, my agents have uncovered startling new evidence that this area may be housing a threat."

He produced a file. It was a thick file, almost 2 inches thick. He slammed it down on the desk. "We have intercepted communications from the area that point to a large scale military buildup, one that is equivalent to an army. Our satellites have taken pictures of what appear to be factories and training grounds that were hidden. I believe that it would be reasonable to consider that we may have a rouge nuclear power."

"Director, I hope you have solid proof for these accusations." Every eye turned to face the President of the United States. "If you don't, I have the feeling that you may have overstepped your boundaries."

"Mr. President, I have readouts that show a disturbingly high level of energy coming from the area. This image, which was what first alerted us, shows an energy and heat signal that was equivalent to  
several atomic bombs. And it was being used multiple times against a moving target. A moving target that happened to be human."

The room was even more silent then before. "Are you telling me that this could be a civil war? One with both human rights violations and nuclear weapons?" The President asked.

"It looks that way, Mr. President. We are morally obligated to take action. I suggest that it be soon. Since we can see it, everyone else can as well. It won't be long before the media runs away with this."

"We've to tread lightly. I'll have to talk to the United Nations about this. We may have to send troops in if that doesn't work. We gone so long without another war, and now with this happening."

Since everyone was looking at the president, no one noticed that the CIA director had a small smirk on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo

The master of the Scarlet Devil Mansion always enjoyed having gatherings. But this one was different. It wasn't a party, it was a meeting to determine what would happen to Gensokyo's future. Even with such a somber atmosphere, the service was impeccable. Head Maid Sakuya had managed to train the fairy maids well enough so that they were able to cook and serve without constant supervision. Every part of Gensokyo was well represented in the crowd. The court of Hakugyokurou, the Lunarians of Eientei, the bureaucrats of Higan, both the Hakueri and Moriya Shrines, the tengus from the mountain, the administrators of Old Hell, the Buddhist monks, the Taoist magicians, even the Celestials and some from the human village were in attendance. Such a gathering had not occurred ever since the last moon expedition, or invasion, depending on who was asked.

An unexpected trio of guests were in the house. Ones that would have taken exception to that question. The heads of the Lunar Defense Corps were visiting their former teacher, Eirin Yagokoro, when they tagged along. Yorihime and Toyohime no Watatsuki were feeling somewhat out of place but were surprised when Yukari Yakumo and Yuyuko Saigyouji had both engaged them in friendly conversation. The events of the Second Lunar War were still in their minds, but neither side bore any ill will to the other. Their pet/bodyguard, Reisen, was beginning to interact with the inhabitants of Gensokyo and was feeling more comfortable.

About after half an hour after the last guests had arrived, who happened to be the Three Mischievous Fairies, Yukari moved to the stage in front of the room.

"I want to thank all of you for coming today. I know that some of you have traveled far so, I'll try to make this worth your time. First, I want to thank Remilia Scarlet for letting us hold this gathering at the mansion." A round of applause rang through the room, with Remilia giving a small nod of acknowledgment. "And I would like to thank Sakuya Izayoi for providing such a great selection of food for us." Another round had Sakuya giving a small curtsy. "Now to our main topic. Some of you may have noticed that the Great Hakueri Barrier has been experiencing some problems. After several inspections, I have concluded that the barrier will soon fall."

The room went quiet. Everyone knew that the barrier was what protected their way of life. And some remembered what occurred when youkai and humans had encountered each other.

"The outside world has advanced greatly since the creation of the barrier. They no longer rely on weak magic. They have a higher degree and skill with technology. They are also going through a period of conflict. One that has drawn in every nation on the planet, except for us. But with the fall of the barrier, that may soon change. The spell card rules that we all live on and know as part of our lives are soon to be liabilities. The outer world has weapons that can kill the humans living here in one hit, and that can bring youkai to their knees and possibly kill them."

She motioned for Rinnosuke and Nitori Kawashiro to join her. The shopkeeper carried the same crate he had the other day.

"The outsider world will be coming to Gensokyo soon. In the outside, they have an energy source that causes more problems then it solves. This energy source has the potential to start wars and has been proven to end them as well. The nuclear power that Utsuho Reiuji has harnessed and uses has not gone unobserved. To the outside, nuclear power is a rare resource, one that some guard jealously. They may come to Gensokyo to take that away from us. We have to be ready for that. This is what we can start to counter the outsiders."

She had Rinnosuke open the crate and hand her a rifle. Yukari lifts the rifle for all to see. "This is a rifle. It fires a bullet at a high rate of speed. This rifle is called a Mosin Nagant and is almost as old as Gensokyo. If all of us move outside, I can demonstrate how it works or...how about one of our visitors?" She looks at Resien, who was standing next to Yorihime. "Come on up here. You're part of the Lunar Defense Corps aren't you? Don't worry, I'm not going to embarrass you or anything like that."

Reisen is nervous when she meets up to Yukari. The youkai gives her a reassuring smile and leads her outside. When everyone is outside, Yukari aims at a target about 300 yards away. "See that target over there? Try to hit it. Here's a round and a bayonet. Use the bayonet if you want to make it accurate. Everyone else, move back a little and cover your ears."

Reisen brings it up and fires in one fluid motion. Almost everyone in the area jumps when the round goes off. She then cycles the bolt and activates the safety.

Yukari was surprised at how much skill the moon rabbit had with this rifle. "This rifle is an earth made rifle. How did you know how to do all of this?"

"This rifle feels so familiar. It reminds me of the ones back home. The feel, the weight, the recoil...Could it be that this rifle was inspired by our designs?"

"My, that was quite a summary. It would make sense that such a long lived and well made weapon wouldn't be just human in origin. Anyway, do all of you see what power they have? But this is not the only type of weapon that we will come up against." She turned to see that Rinnosuke had brought out even more crates.

"But first-", she pulls out a spyglass. "A perfect shot. Well done, Reisen." The moon rabbit bows her head slightly. Yukari takes the rifle and puts it back in the crate. She opens another and pulls out a shorter weapon. One that was a combination of wood and metal.

"This is the standard rifle for most of the world. This is called the AK-47." She hands it to Reisen and points to the target again. Reisen aims and pulls the trigger. The first shot was off slightly but every other shot was going everywhere else. "The main problem with the AK-47 is it's lack of accuracy. This is more of a distraction maker then an attack weapon. It also has the quality of being common, cheap, and reliable."

She pulls out another weapon. "This one is more accurate, and is used by one of the stronger factions. It is known as the M4." The moon rabbit fires a few shots and nods. "The design allows it to be customized to suit the user's tastes and needs. "

She then pulls out one that is even shorter than the others. "This one is the Heckler and Koch G36. The faction that makes it is well known as craftsmen and for their quality work." Resien shoots a few rounds and falls in love with it. Yukari feels a pang of guilt as she takes the G36 back.

"Maybe later, little rabbit. Now for another class of weapons." Rinnosuke handed her what appeared to be a tube. "This is called an AT4. It is basically a bigger rifle." She hands it to the moon rabbit and motions others to get out from behind her. When the coast was clear, she pats her twice on the head. Reisen fires the round, which flies downrange and explodes. No one had made a noise since the first round was fired. "I think that explains itself." Yukari could almost sense Marisa about to grab the tube when no one was looking. "And it's only one time use. The tube's useless after the rocket's fired." The youkai took the tube back and broke the iron sights. "Anytime you see the iron sights broken, the tube's already been fired and is useless." She then threw it to the side.

"These are just some of the weapons that we will have to fight with. Rinnosuke Morichika, Kourindou's shopkeeper, has agreed to house and supply the weapons while Nitori Kawashiro and the rest of the kappa have offered their services to maintain and modify them. We can have an even bigger assortment of weapons, but I sense that all of you will need some time to get used to them. We're going to need everyone we can get to help defend Gensokyo. I have already talked to almost all of you individually. Now I need to know if we can count on you. Anyone that doesn't want to is free to leave. I give my word that I won't bear any ill will. I know that some of you would prefer to stay out of this. That's fine."

No one moved. Everyone knew that they had a duty to the land that they loved. And they were going to fulfill that duty.

"Then that's settled. I want all of you to get some time with the weapons here. But always remember two rules. First, be aware of what you're pointing at. This weapons are deadly and we do not need anyone getting hurt or killed. Second, treat these weapons with respect. Some of them may not appeal to you. That's natural. I can always find something that you like. Just give the ones here a try first."

Everyone steps forward to test them out for themselves. Yukari is about to reach insider her gap for a cup of tea when Reisen walks up to her. "Lady Yukari, can I ask you a question?"

"Now, now, you don't need to address me so formally. You did such a good job demonstrating all of our toys. So, what is it?"

"You seem to know a lot about these weapons. I had been told that the spell card rules had been in place for a long time. Was there an incident that required them?"

"No incident has ever required outside technology. Well, maybe the Second Lunar War. But I spend a good amount of time in the outside world. I picked up some things there. Would you like to take a short walk? I'm sure Yorihime and Toyohime won't mind."

Reisen looks over to her masters. Yorihime is busy talking to Eirin. Toyohime makes eye contact with the moon rabbit and gives her a quick smile and a shooing motion.

"I would be happy to."

Northern Japan

A CH-47 Chinook was flying all alone in the middle of the night. The aviator was humming a tuneless song, much to the annoyance of his copilot. In the back, a team of CIA and Special Forces Operators were sitting quietly. The operators were still in the dark about their mission, and the agents weren't being helpful. There was almost a tense atmosphere between the two. Seeing as how they had basically snuck into Japanese airspace in a lone helicopter, some of the operators weren't exactly excited for their mission.

"JESUS TAPDANCING CHRIST!"

Everyone in the back jumped. None of them had ever heard their warrant officer sound like that. One of the operators rushes to the cockpit and can only gape at the sight in front of him. On the other side of the glass, there was what looked like a little blonde girl with a red ribbon in her hair. She reminded everyone of a bug that was splattered on the windshield. The copilot, out of instinct, activated the windshield wipers. The thing little rod of plastic slide across the glass and stopped when it reached the side of the girl's head. It then backed up and tried to move forward again.

"Where the hell did she come from!?"

"Does it look like I got a damn idea!?"

"Chief, I hope you got insurance."

"Dammit, we ain't in no school zone."

"Is that so?"

Everyone slowly turned back to the glass. The little girl had a blank smile on her face. The copilot reached forward and tapped the glass. The little girl blinked and began to slide to the left. Both the aviator and the operator ran back to open the left door and brought her inside the helicopter. The copilot had known to keep the aircraft stopped. When she was brought inside, she still had the blank smile and surprised everyone else in the room by floating above the floor.

"I'm hungry."

She went around sniffing everyone. One of the operators pulls out a candy bar and gives it to her. She sits down and eats it. Another operator drops to a knee in front of her and questions her in a soothing voice. "Hey, what's your name?"

"I'm Rumia. I'm the youkai of darkness."

"Youkai? So you're not human?"

"That's right. I eat humans. Well, if I could catch them..."

"How do you catch humans?"

"I do this."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she disappeared into what could only be described as concentrated darkness. She moved forward and stopped when she crashed into the wall. The darkness then dissipated.

"I'm still hungry. Can I have another one?"

The CIA agents were on edge and were nervously holding their weapons. The operators weren't really seeing a threat, they felt kind of sorry for Rumia. To them, she didn't seem to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. Since some of them had children that were around the age that Rumia was, they were hoping that she wouldn't be a threat. Another operator gave her his candy bar.

"This is good. Is it made out of humans?"

"No, it's made out of chocolate and peanut butter."

"I never seen anything like this in Gensokyo before."

"Gensokyo? Is this what this place is called?"

"Yep. Did all of you come across the barrier?"

"The barrier? Yeah, we came across it. Could you tell us more about Gensokyo?"

"Gensokyo is where the youkai go to have fun. There's this barrier that keeps the outside world out. There's this shrine maiden that keeps everything the same. And now Yukari told us some mean people are coming to take it all away."

"Who's Yukari?"

"Yukari's the boss around here. She's the one that fixes problems. But she sleeps a lot. She has a fox and a cat for pets. I know the cat. She's one of my friends."

"That's interesting. Here, have another one." He hands her another candy bar. "How long until we land, Chief?"

"About 3-4 minutes. You might need to rappel out if we can't find a spacing wide enough. The map they gave us is way off and our radar is messing up. Almost like we're being jammed. We might need to call up to higher about this."

"There's no need to call up your chain of command." One of the agents stood up. He gave both the operator and the warrant officer chills. "This is a CIA operation. We're the ones that decide what happens. Remember that your team is only here for security. And that you and your copilot are our drivers."

Every operator wanted to invite the agent to the nearest body of water with a new pair of concrete shoes. But they had another, much more pressing problem: what was their mission. In the back of all their heads was the feeling that there was something wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

Youkai Mountain

A good way up the mountain, the kappas had set up workshops for their modifications. Right now, the kappas were unloading dozens of crates that Yukari had brought. Rinnosuke was finishing up a manifest of every new weapon that they received. Nitori had her hands full with designing modifications for Marisa and Youmu. While the half ghost was fine with waiting her turn, Marisa was hyped up at getting the chance to increase her already high firepower. In all of this commotion, Yukari almost didn't notice that Yuyuko and Eiki had shown up.

"Yukari, looks like your having a lot of fun here," Yuyuko smiled. "I don't think I seen you this busy for a long time. Where's Ran and Chen?"

"I got them doing some other things for me. What brings you and the Yama here?"

"We got an idea that might help. The weather's nice today. Why don't you take a walk with us, Yukari?" The yama beckoned her and walked into the forest.

Yukari and Yuyuko traded a glance and followed her. The trio was quiet until they had put a far amount of distance between them and the crowd.

"From what I can see, we have the tools and the motivation to make this succeed," Eiki said. "But right now, we would see be beaten back without the skills the outside has."

Yukari knew that she couldn't counter that. "I know that the first few weeks are going to be the toughest. But our motivation should get us through. Every nation on the planet is going to be coming for us, so we can't really ask any of them for training."

"What about asking history for training?" Eiki asked.

Yukari's mind went blank. Even though she was accounting for every variable, she hadn't thought about doing what the yama had just suggested. Seeing as she had no authority in the afterlife, Yukari hadn't even considered it.

"While the other yamas are still badgering me about Gensokyo getting ready for war, some of them still owe me favors. If you can take advantage of it, I can get some of the best warriors in history to teach us some tricks. I have quite a few in mind."

The gap youkai couldn't stop a smile from crossing her face. "Then by all means. We're going to need every advantage we can get. Some of my shikigami have reported that we already have company."

She turns around and points her parasol at a bush. A few seconds later, an operator stands up. All around the trio, more operators and agents stand up. They all have their weapons aimed at the youkai. Next to one operator, Rumia is busy eating a candy bar.

"How did you even know we were here?" one of them asked.

"Now, now. A proper lady does not talk to strangers. I believe that introductions are in order."

"We are soldiers from-", but the operator was interrupted by one of the agents.

"We are under no obligation to identify ourselves. You are under our custody, so we're the ones that make the rules here." The agent snapped. "I would put that parasol down, lady. Along with that fan and that funny looking stick."

"Funny looking stick?" Eiki's voice was barely audible. Both Yukari and Yuyuko's hair began to stand on end. They could tell that the Yama was angry. So could the operators. "You must be a glutton for punishment, to insult my office like this."

"What office? All I see is a skinny little girl with a skinny little stick. You have no chance against my organization. I wish you would do some-" The agent stopped mid sentence when the sky began to suddenly get cloudy and thunder began to fall.

"You may not originally be from my jurisdiction. But you have insulted me in my house, and now you will face judgment." Eiki pointed her Rod of Remorse at the agent. The writing on it began to change. Once it stopped, it began to glow. The agent tried to pull the trigger but the weapon was knocked out of his hand by the judge. The yama began to read off every sin he had committed in his life. At the end, she moved forward and slammed the rod down on his head hard.

"You are sentenced to send three lifetimes in the pits of Hell for your crimes. You are one of the worst souls I have ever judged. I fear that there may be no hope for you to ever reach enlightenment."

Seeing one of their own being attacked the rest of the agents rushed forward to strike, but were cut down by kunais that Yukari had summoned from her gaps. None of the operators had moved and Rumia had stopped eating her candy bar.

"Anyone else feel like disrespecting my office?" The yama pointed her rod at each operator in turn. They all lowered their weapons and put their hands up. Yukari pointed at one of them.

"Tie all their hands together. Don't try anything funny."

The operator complied. After they were all tied, Yukari herded them back to the kappa's workshops. The looks of surprise on everyone's faces when they emerged from the forest were priceless. The kappas took a second to recover before they reached for their weapons and took custody of the prisoners.

"Did we miss a party, Yukari?" Nitori asked. "We saw the thunder and the clouds but we didn't know what to do."

"It's fine. We got surrounded by some outsiders. There were more, but they made the mistake of insulting the yama." She turns to the captured operatives. "Now, how about you tell some things about yourselves."

None of them moved. They were still shocked at what just happened. The yama nodded her head. "It seems that the effect of fear is still high in the outside. That's a fine trait to have. Makes you sharper. Let me ask you this: why do you think you're here?"

They still gave silence as their answer. Rumia was at a loss at what was happening. Yukari knew that the darkness youkai didn't mean any ill will when she had lead the outsiders in. She had really considered the operatives friends. The agents, on the other hand, were cold towards her. She didn't think twice about those dead agents now.

"Have you ever heard of Gensokyo before?" Yukari asked.

Some of the operatives looked away, while others were still looking for an escape route. Yukari suddenly thought of a great idea.

"Nitori, check them for weapons." The kappa motioned for some of her fellows to follow her and began to search their prisoners. After the kappas gave the all clear, Yukari had their restraints released. "Since all of you are going to be our guests for a while, why not get comfortable?"

She summoned a gap that lifted her up a little and sat.

"Go on. We won't hurt you. Here, have some tea." Gaps appeared next to each of the operators, each had a cup of fresh tea. Yukari also gave some to everyone else. She sipped hers first to show them it wasn't poison. After a bit, they began to sip. Some of them even took their helmets and vests off. None of them expected to be treated so humanely when they were captured. Rumia had sat down next to them as well.

"From what your reactions where, I can say for sure that none of you had ever heard of Gensokyo when you woke up this morning. You can also see that we're not what you would call normal. Most of here are not humans. The only human here would be Marisa over there." The magician waved. "And then we have the half human, half ghost over here," Youmu did a short bow. "I know, that in the outside world, nobody believes in magic and monsters. But let me assure you, we are real. I can control any boundary you can think of. The yama is the one that judges your soul when you die. Nitori is one of the kappa."

Yukari paused. She could tell that they were still in shock. The best thing to do would be to give it a few days to sink in. Countless possibilities swirled around her head until she found the best one.

"Since we really can't send you back after all of this, why don't all of you stay with Yuyuko? I'm sure that she won't mind."

The ghost princess shrugged. "It's not like I got anything else to do. I'm sure Youmu won't mind, now won't you?"

The half ghost shook her head in resignation. "No, Lady Yuyuko. Shall I prepare the rooms?"

"Please do. And make sure we have plenty of food ready."

Youmu bowed and took flight back to Hakugyokurou. Yukari finished her tea and stood back up. She nodded to the Yama and they both took flight. After flying for a few minutes, Yukari breaks the silence.

"Who do have in mind for teaching us?"

"I got a few in mind. But first, we have to gather everybody we know can use this training to the fullest. I know that you have some books that teach us somethings, but books are no substitute for experience."

"You're right. So who should we get first?"

"I'm thinking that we should get someone from each group to be taught. That way we won't have to worry about a point being undefended. I think we can count on Remiu, Marisa, either Meiling or Sakuya, Youmu, Reisen or Eirin, probably Komachi, Sanae, Utsuho, Shou, Futo, Momiji, and even Tenshi. Once we can get them trained, they can train everyone else. I'm surprised that I haven't seen Ran or Chen lately."

"I got them running some errands for me. They should be back soon."

Ussuriysk, Primorsky Krai, Russia  
It was nighttime in the city. Even in the middle of the night, the city was alive with sound and light. A fox was running from shadow to shadow, with a cat following close behind. Every time a car passed by, they stopped. They came up to a chain link fence that had barbed wire on top. After making sure the coast was clear, both of them flew over the fence. They landed lightly and went on their way. They headed straight for the air field. Taking extra caution to avoid being spotted, they snuck behind a Russian officer. The man was at the end of supervising a guard shift and too sleepy to notice the fox changing shape. He only noticed too late when Ran grabbed him in a sleeper hold and dragged him into the shadows. A few minutes later, she reappears wearing his uniform and hides her tails in a backpack. She adjusts the uniform and clips the lower belt on the backpack for a better fit. Grateful for the fact that she doesn't have visible ears like Chen, she heads towards a Mi-24 parked on the runway. Chen reaches the helicopter first and clears it. Just as Ran is about to enter the heli, a guard out of the hanger near her. Ran pulls out a Colt 1911 and shoots him. Alerted by the gunshots, spotlights come on. Ran jumps into the helicopter and finds Chen already turning on all the controls.

"We got about 3 minutes before we can lift up, Lady Ran."

Since the body of the guard was still in side the hanger, the searchlights couldn't find it. That would buy some time before more guards arrived. Ran looked out of the window. The guards were busy running around on the other side of the runway and hadn't noticed them yet. As more and more lights came on, Ran was counting down the time. At 1 minute left to takeoff, the radio came to life demanding to know why the helicopter was on.

"Chen, get on the side cannon and aim for the spotlights."

The two tailed cat jumped out of the cockpit and ran to the machine gun on the side window. She aimed at the tower and, with one well aimed burst, took out the spotlight. The guards heard the shots and began to rush at the helicopter. Chen jumped to the other window and laid down suppressing fire. Ran began to lift the helicopter up slowly. Once she felt that the engine had finally woken up, she dipped and sped out of the base. The entire time, the radio was still going on and on.

"Lady Yukari's going to be pleased. Chen, go ahead and tell her we're ready."

"Yes, Lady Ran."

"Hopefully she should be able to tell us more about that bombing they're blaming us for too."


	7. Chapter 7

Kyoto, Japan

The afternoon before Ran and Chen's little adventure, a pair of close friends were having tea at an outdoor cafe. Renko Usami was reading a book while Maribel Hearn was studying a picture. A waitress snapped them out of their activities when she brought them more tea and crumpets. She also had a newspaper with it. She sat it all down and walked off. Renko reached for the newspaper but stopped when she read the front page.

"Mary...take a look at this." She handed the paper to her.

As the blonde read more and more, her eyes began to widen.. Luckily, she had placed her teacup on the table before she read. Her hands where shaking so hard that she couldn't hold anything. Maribel stood up and walked away from the table. Renko quickly pulled out money and placed it under her teacup. She grabbed two crumpets and ran after her best friend. The wind began to blow and caught the newspaper. As it flapped through the wind, the front page head line was visible. In bold letters, it said "Multiple Embassies bombed, rouge nuclear state of Gensokyo is blamed".

Renko finally caught up to Maribel a few minutes later. She was tired from all of that running and had tears streaming down her face. She kept whispering one thing over and over again.

"It's not true..."

Hearing her with that tone broke Renko's heart. Renko rushed forward, spun Maribel around and held her tight. At first, Maribel was surprised at what had happened but seeing who it was, she began to cry into Renko's shoulder.

"They couldn't have done anything like. All of the people from my dreams, there's no way that it could have been them. It has to be a mistake."

"There, there Mary. There's no way that they should even know about Gensokyo. But every other nation on the planet is screaming for revenge. There's even talk about war."

"But that's too much. How could every embassy be attacked at the same time? There's too many of them."

"I don't know. Even though that article was almost half the entire front page, there wasn't that much information. Are you feeling a little better?"

"A little. I still need to find out what happened. I'm sorry. I know we were going to see that movie tonight but-"

Forget about that. You're right. Figuring out all this is more important. We should go ahead and get some supplies ready. If we have to go all the way to that old shrine up north, we need to catch the last train up there. We may even have to skip lunch, so here. This isn't much, but it's better than nothing." She hands Maribel the crumpet. "We should start by stopping by my place to get our bags."

Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo

For the first time, the kappa engineers were in awe. Yukari had managed to steal an aircraft from the outside. Ran and Chen had landed the helicopter in an open space near the kappa workshops. The gap youkai had left to deal with other pressing issues. Every kappa in the area was swarming the prize, taking panels apart, taking pictures, and staring at the controls. As the news spread, everyone from all over Gensokyo had to come see the machine for themselves. The fox youkai still wore the Russian Army uniform, but had replaced the service cap with her regular twin pointed hat. Chen had the service cap and was enjoying some miso stew.

Nitori was taking a panel off the side wall when she was hit with inspration. An idea popped into her head the same moment another kappa lost hold of a modular and let it fall on Nitori's head. She looked down and saw that Nitori had a certain look.

"Ran! Hey, Ran!"

The kitsune looked up from her handgun. "What is it, Nitori? Is something wrong with the helicopter?"  
"This outfit you're wearing, it's the one you took off that guard right?"

"Yes. From what Lady Yukari told me, it's a dress uniform. They use it whenever they have to promote an image."

"Maybe we should have our own."

"What?"

"It's a great idea! We can have our own uniforms! That way, the outside world can know we're serious about defending Gensokyo. And we can look great while we're doing it, too!" The kappa was boucing up and down on the balls of her feet. "We should ask Yukari what she thinks. I'm sure she'll love it."

Ran knew that once the kappa was hooked on an idea, there was no letting go.

"Fine. Let me call Lady Yukari and see what she says."

The kappa bowed and ran back to the helicopter. Ran pulls out her cell phone and dials Yukari's number. After a few rings, the gap youkai picks up.

"What is it, Ran? I hope there aren't any problems."

"No, Lady Yukari. Nitori got an idea and wanted me to pass it by you."

"Go ahead. This might be fun."

"Nitori saw the uniforms that the outside world has for their military. She got the idea that we should have something like that as well. She seem really motivated by the idea."

"..."

"...Lady Yukari?"

"Do it."

"Come again, Lady Yukari?"

"Do it. That sounds like a wonderful idea. Does she have any styles in mind yet?"

"She really seemed to like the Russian Army one I stole off that officer the other day."

"Hmm, Russian Army might be a good start. But, I want to show her a few before we settle. Tell her to come up with more ideas and that I'm going to bring some of my own as well."

"Yes, Lady Yukari."

"Tell me, are you and Chen well rested?"

"We are, Lady Yukari."

"Good. Go ahead and head out to that next point I told you about. Remember to give me a call when everything's ready."

"As you wish, Lady Yukari."

The line went dead. Ran put away the cell phone and found Nitori.

"Lady Yukari seems happy with the idea. She says she wants you to come up with a few designs and that she's going to bring some of her own."

"That's great! We can do so much with this! We add a..."

Ran just stood there, listening to the kappa shoot off ideas. Nitori's energy was enough to bring a smile to Ran's face.


	8. Chapter 8

Higan Riverside

The group that was waiting next to the river was one of the most random. Each person was a representative of their faction, tasked with learning as much as possible from their teacher. The group was made up of Remiu Hakueri, Marisa Kirisame, Sakuya Izayoi, Youmu Konpaku, Reisen Udongein Inaba, Komachi Onozuka, Sanae Kochiya, Utsuho Reiuji, Shou Toramaru, Mononobe no Futo, Momiji Inubashiri, and Tenshi Hinanawi. In front of the group, Yukari and Eiki were a little off to the side, talking amongst themselves.

"Are you sure they're ready for this, Yukari?"

"We got the best people for the job here. Just look at them if you don't believe me."

"All right. Is everything ready?"

"I brought plenty of crates and ammo cans. We're fine."

"Well, time's up. Let's go ahead and do this."

Yukari turned to the group.

"Listen up, everybody. You're here to learn from the some of the best warriors in history. The Yama has been generous enough to pull some strings at her office to make this possible. So, without further ado, here's your first teacher."

A ghost that was floating above the river began to float towards them. Once it was over the ground, it began to shift shape. It shifted into the form of a man that was no taller than five feet three inches. He seemed to be the farthest thing from a rampaging soldier. There was no malice from him at all, just the feeling of a friendly neighbor.

"This is Simo Hayha. He fought during the Winter War. This war took place during the larger Second World War almost 70 years ago. He is known as one of the most accomplished snipers in history with more than 500 confirmed kills with a rifle just like this." Yukari holds up a Mosin Nagant. "Lt. Hayha also knows how to defend his home from invaders. He has agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to come down here and teach all of us about the art of sniping. I hope we can all make sure to make the most of his time."

For the next few hours, everyone was taught how to snipe and use their soundings. Unsurprisingly, the moon rabbit caught on quick. She followed close by Sakuya, much to everyone's surprise. It almost seemed like she had prior training.

When the training was done, and Lt. Hayha had returned to his daily routine, everyone was sitting in a circle. They were just relaxing after a tiring day. Reisen was stripping down a Mosin Nagant while Marisa was studying a chart of gunpowder ratios she had picked up from the kappas. It was obvious that she looking to add more firepower to her custom rifle when it was finished being made. Yukari had walked off to make a few calls while Eiki had to return to her duties. Momiji was sharping a bayonet and Sakuya was polishing her knives. None of them noticed that Youmu and Komachi had fallen asleep leaning on each other.

Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, Russia

The headquarters of the Sukhoi Aviation Corporation were in an uproar. The day before, an entire file cabinet had disappeared into what could only have been described as a purple gap. It wasn't just any file cabinet, this one held blueprints for almost every major military aircraft they produced and even some experimental ones. The Federal Security Service was all over the building, checking every nook and cranny. Members of the military intelligence agency were also snooping around.

The Kremlin was also on high alert. This incident, combined with the recent theft of a Mi-24 from one of their bases near the Pacific Ocean, had them baffled and angry. The security footage from the base didn't help any either. One camera showed a fox and cat flying over the security fence, another showed a blonde woman with a funny looking twin peaked hat and white and blue dress dragging a guard behind a corner. But it was what the women had behind her that got their attention. It was at least nine fluffy, cream colored tails. The Director of the GRU had just briefed the president of Russia on what was now known as the Gensokyo Incident. GRU agents had intercepted transmissions from various CIA and NSA locations discussing the matter. Along with the bombing of almost every embassy worldwide that was being blamed on Gensokyo, the threat of war was marching forward every second.

Once all of this news got to the higher levels of the Russian government, the Ministry of Defence had all troops go into standby. All across the Federation, leaves were canceled, reserves were call up, and factories were given a warning to start making preparations to go into war production. But this did not go unnoticed. Across the ocean, the United States also went on standby. Then the rest of NATO followed. Like a set of dominos, every nation on the planet went on standby. Deadlocked legislative bodies began to make progress in bills and laws. Economies began to switch to war footing. Even Switzerland was readying for war.

United Nations General Assembly Chamber, International Territory, New York City, New York, United States

The General Assembly Chamber had the same atmosphere as a high school after a lost championship. Every delegate in the chamber was on their feet, yelling at the top of their voice, pointing fingers at those they believe responsible for the current state of affairs. The Secretary-General had failed to calm down the raging diplomats. What everyone in the room noticed was that the breakdown of the two main groups fell along Cold War era allies. Then the room went silent.

In front of the room, a purple gap had appeared. Out of it walked Yukari, Eiki, and Eirin. They each had their assistants with them. Ran, Komachi, and Reisen walked behind their superiors and began to scan the room. The Secretary-General stood up, spilling his coffee.

"What do you think you're doing? This is a meeting for official representatives of the United Nations only!"

"We're the official delegation from Gensokyo. There's some words we have to have all of you." Yukari replied coolly, her gaze promising a verbal beat down. "It seems that some nations...have decided to invade Gensokyo's sovereign land without any provocation or just cause."

The room exploded into an uproar. Fingers were pointed in every direction. One of the Russian representatives took his shoe off and began to bang it on the table. The American representatives were pointing at the Iranian delegation. Eiki and Eirin stood behind Yukari, both were amazed by the behavior of the delegates. Yukari's voice cut through the roar.

"A few days ago, a team of soldiers and spies were captured on Gensokyo's sovereign territory. The spies were killed when they tried to capture me and the Yamaxanadu." She motioned at Eiki. "The soldiers were captured and are now staying occupied in the Netherworld."

"The United States of America has no part of any of these. Gensokyo is a rouge state that has attacked every embassy on the planet. That attack was an act of war!" The American representative was on his feet. "Gensokyo should stand down and pay restitution for their crimes. What right did you have to attack our bases?"

"The bombing of every embassy on the planet is an unfortunate event. But, no one in Gensokyo was responsible for any of that. I give all of you my word that this is true." Yukari paused. "The Great Hakueri Barrier may be weakening. Our presence here is evidence of that. The Barrier has kept our world separated for a time. Gensokyo was meant to be a haven for youkai. Humans have always feared the unknown. Even with the time that has passed and the advances they have made, they still have that one fear. Perhaps it was foolish for me to have thought humans had advanced."

This uproar was even louder than the other ones. Yukari was a realist, but had held out hope for a peaceful resolution. But this killed those hopes. Now all she could do was buy enough time to be able to mount a defense against the coming war.

"I have studied the history of the outside world. I have seen for myself how history has been influence by rash decisions and human nature. There are rumors of war in the air. An unprovoked war is the worst war of all. I had thought that this organization was meant to be used to prevent wars." Yukari knew that she was baiting the lion but kept on. "It doesn't seem that anything has changed since the last world war."

"See here, I cannot allow you to keep insulting us in this way." The Secretary-General had gotten on his feet. "The United Nations was founded to promote diplomacy. You have no right to judge us based on your false accusations."

The American ambassador stood up as well. "Gensokyo must learn their proper place. It may not be long before armed conflict arises."

The room went quiet.

"I would suggest that you study the duties of your government, ambassador. The Constitution of the United States of America outlines that only Congress can declare war and that only the President can order troop movements." Yukari's voice was icy. "We youkai do not appreciate threats, especially empty ones."

The Russian representative laughed. "Gensokyo is smaller than any nation represented in this room. In an all-out war, how do you plan on not being overrun in the first hour?"

"Lunar technology can help prevent that."

Every head turned to the rear of the room. Walking down the aisle was Yorihime and Toyohime Watatsuki and their bodyguard Reisen. They had the foresight to leave their weapons but still had that dangerous aura.

"Lunar technology has been proven to counter anything the Earth can muster" Toyohime wore a proud look. "It was also responsible for the malfunctions of that foolish Apollo 13. It was by our master's mercy and grace that the spacecraft returned."

Eirin nodded. "While it is common knowledge that an explosion in the oxygen tanks was one of the major problems, think about the cause. Do you really think oxygen tanks explode on their own? The mission was doomed to fail from the start. Look at the name."

"As representatives from the Lunarian people, we are here to pledge our help to Gensokyo. This declaration is in effect immediately." Toyohime had a peach in her hand. "This includes military and material support."

The American delegate's face was becoming more and redder as time went on. Now with the Lunarians taking part, Yukari had to begin to account for them as well. But she already had a general idea of what to do.

"Your technology cannot stand against the Lunarians. Not even NATO has a chance," Yukari glared at the American. "Sending spies into the land that I maintain wasn't one of your best ideas. In some places, that's a declaration of war."

"The United States has never had any involvement with the detachment that you claim invaded your sovereign land." The delegate had to pause to keep himself from blowing up. "But to attack American soil with cowardly bombs is an act of war. We would be well within our rights and obligations to declare war on Gensokyo. Not to mention that irresponsible use of nuclear power that we detected."

"As I said before, those bombs are not the work of anyone in Gensokyo. What information can you provide that proves that we had anything to do with it? And what gives you the right to question our use of nuclear power?"

"Our investigators have found evidence that points to your people. We are not required to share any information with you. The United States is the leading nuclear power on the planet, we are the only ones that can be trusted to use it responsibly."

"Even if I had this?" Yukari reached into a gap and pulled out a folder. She walks up to the Secretary General and drops it on the desk. The man opens the folder and begins to read the papers. As he reads, his face gets darker and darker.

"What is the meaning of this, ambassador?" He finally asks. "These documents are reports from your Central Intelligence Agency."

"I demand that those papers be handed over. No one in this room has the clearance to-" As the diplomat moved forward, he was stopped by Yukari's umbrella being pointed an inch from his face.

"Do you really believe that just because Gensokyo is separated from the outside world, that we're weak and stupid? That we proud youkai have dulled in our peace? We can and we will fight off any threat. Especially if we have to do it in self-defense. Come and try to take our way of life."

With that Yukari turned and summoned one of her gaps. Wordlessly she walked in, followed by everyone else. The Lunarians walked back to the rear of the room and opened their own gap. Seeing that he was the target of everyone's attention, the American representative left the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Scarlet Devil Mansion

In a rare moment of calm, Sakuya was in her room. Remilia had decided to turn in early since she had stayed up all night researching weapons with Patchouli. The librarian was busy having her assistant help with building defenses. Flandre was off at the shooting range with Marisa. It felt weird to have nothing to do. Since the fairy maids now knew how to clean and cook, she decided to clear out her wardrobe. As she pulled out clothes that she had forgotten she even had, the memories began to flood in. Her past was something that she could never forget, much to her frustration. Then it all hit when she came across one certain outfit.

It was an old one indeed. A peaked cap, a long coat, and matching pants were on the hanger she pulled out, all in a dark blue. On the other one, a white shirt with a black tie and a belt. Under the empty spot, there was a box, one coated with dust. She opens it and finds a pair of spotless white gloves and another belt. Attached to this belt was a sheathed knife. A false bottom revealed ankle high polished black boots. When it was all put together, there was no doubt that it would make a fashionable and practical uniform.

Sakuya knew better than to expect that her past would stay hidden. She looked through another box, this one had a shadow box. In the shadow box, a large assortment of ribbons and medals stared back at her. A picture fell off the box, it was an old black and white one. Seeing it sent a jolt through Sakuya's heart.

Metzingen, Weinberg, Germany, 1936

For a summer day, it was cool in the area near Metzingen, Weinberg. A small mansion was set on a small hill. Around the mansion, soldiers wearing the uniform of the German Army stood guard. Inside the mansion, high ranking officers from the German military were looking at designs given to them by the man sitting in the armchair in front of the window. Near the door, two soldiers stood guard. One of them had clear blue eyes and silver hair. She stood at perfect parade rest but held a pocket watch in her left hand.

"I hope you can appreciate the amount of work I have put into these designs," the man in the armchair said. "These are the masterpieces of Hugo Boss, fashion designer extraordinaire! A uniform that has style to last one thousand years! A uniform that will represent our great nation for the rest of time! A uniform that will strike jealousy into the hearts of all our enemies! "

The officers nod their heads and seem satisfied with the designs. One of them adjusts his glasses, "The designs seem to look good. But I would like to see them in action before I can give my approval."

Boss stands up and walks to a closest. He pulls out one of his designs. A long overcoat and matching pants in a dark blue color. With a pair of ankle high polished boots and a peaked cap, he lays it on the table in front of the officers. After he gets a white shirt and tie, he places them along with a knife and belt. He looks at each of the officers but shakes his head. He goes to the two guarding the door and eyes them. The one with silver hair catches his eye. The designer accounts for her shape and calls an assistant. He hands her the clothes and points to a room down the hall.

A few minutes later, the silver haired soldier walks back in wearing the uniform. Seeing the fit and the way it looks, the officers immediately agree to the designs. After the required actions, Boss has a photograph taken of himself with the silver haired woman that was the first wearer of his most famous line.

A few months later, she still wore that same uniform on the field of battle. She had used strange abilities to keep herself alive in some of the harshest battles of the Second World War. These abilities had not gone unnoticed by those higher ranking officers with connections. Being transferred from an ordinary infantry battalion to a division that focused on dealing with paranormal matters. Little did she know that the transfer that took her from the front lines would also bring her onto an intercept course with the person that would change her life forever.

After she had fought in North Africa during the desert campaign, the mission that she would never forget was handed down to her. It all started as a regular day in the desert: heat, sand, wind, more sand. She was cleaning and inspecting her weapon when she was approached by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. He handed her an envelope bearing the seal of the Ahnenerbe, the paranormal organization founded by Heinrich Himmler. In it, a map of a region of France was included. A letter detailing the mission held a picture of a red mansion.

One week later, she found herself at the gate of the mansion. She had her usual uniform, along with her Karabiner 98k rifle, and the numerous silver knives and bullets that she hid in every pocket. The gates swung open without any resistance. As she walked by, she ignored the plaque that hung on the post next to the gatekeeper's hut. The plaque was inscribed with "Ecarlate Diable Manoir".

Youkai Mountain

In one of the clearings near the kappa workshops, a small group of kappas were working on a plane. Nitori had broken into the computers that Yukari had brought her and was almost finished having her fellows build it. One particular design had caught her eye, so that was their first order of business. Known as the SU-47, it was famous for its forward swept wings. This one was painted a mixture of red, white, and black.

Seeing a certain magician heading towards them, Nitori reaches for the box she kept next to her workbench. Placing it on the table, she waves to Marisa. The human had an eager look on her face as she eyed the box. Inside it, a scoped Mosin Nagant and two revolvers sat. But the rifle had a larger barrel than any of the other ones Marisa had seen. The revolvers were the same way as well.

"I took the ideas that you gave me and mixed in some things I noticed about your magic," Nitori said. Pulling out a small carton of ammo, she shows Marisa a giant round. "This is a .50 caliber round. I modified the rifle that you seem to like the most and added a few new features. But the real art is in the bullet."

Nitori walks to an empty clearing and loads the rifle. She aims at the tree and pulls the trigger. From the barrel of the rifle, a rainbow colored tracer bullet flew forward and exploded when it hit the tree. The explosion was large enough to tear apart the closest 10 trees. She lays the rifle down and picks up the revolvers.

"This is a Ruger Blackhawk. This weapon is known as a revolver. As you can see, the number of shots are limited. The reload speed is also slower than other weapons. But the power it has makes up for all of that."

Raising the revolvers, the kappa fire two shots. Both bullets flew forward and exploded in more rainbow displays. "What do you think?"

Marisa was speechless. Truth be told, she was a little let down when she first saw the weapons, but now she was in love. All of that firepower in her hands. Nitori handed her a pistol belt with a shoulder strap.

"Take this Sam Browne belt and a couple of boxes of my custom made ammo. But keep this in mind: do not use anything other than the ammo I made with these guns. And make sure to always have at least two boxes on you at all times. Yukari`s orders and all that."

"Thanks, Nitori. Anyway, where's that annoying youkai?"

"No idea. Knowing her, she could be anywhere."


	10. Chapter 10

Courtroom, Ministry of Right and Wrong, Higan

For the first time in living memory, Shiki's courtroom wasn't hearing judgment. Instead, the Yama was talking with Yukari and Eirin. Reisen, Ran, and Komachi were standing off at the door with nothing to do.

"The way I see it, we might not be ready before the invasion starts," the Yama was saying. "We have had some of the best warriors in history teaching us how to fight like the outside world, but now that it's clear that we're vastly outnumbered..."

"We still have the support of the moon forces once this starts. I know for sure that the Lunar Defense Corps have better weaponry than the earth. I designed most of myself," Eirin paused. "But the problem would be the casualties from the fighting. With the time that Yukari has calculated, we would be short on the proper medicine for at least a month after the first attack. The youkai can heal fast, but I'm worried about the Hakueri miko and the magician."

Yukari nodded and sighed. "That's one of our priorities after all. Even with the barrier gone, we still can't let Remiu get hurt. The same goes for Marisa. Those two are close, if either of them get hurt, it all goes downhill."

"I can't bend the rules of life and death for either of them," Shiki said. "The best I can do is to tell them to stay sharp. Even your power of manipulating boundaries can't bring back the dead. Lord Yama has made sure of that."

"There may be a way, but I doubt that either of them would approve," Eirin started.

"The Hourai elixir cannot be an option," Yukari stomped the idea. "Its common knowledge that the one thing Marisa values above everything is her humanity. And for Remiu to give her's up would make her give up what she is. The Hakueri family has always been human, and mikos are supposed to be human. Remiu won't ever want to give that up."

"So that brings us back to our original question: how are we going to keep Remiu from getting killed during all this. And why should be bother with the barrier gone?" Shiki asked.

"Remiu is the only one that can keep everyone from cutting each other's throats. The Onis respect her, the vampires listen to her, the humans have started to trust her more, and even the underground will pay attention to her." Yukari looked away. "And it's my responsibility to make sure that no harm comes to the Hakueri line. That's a promise I have kept for so long and I'm not about to change that."

The Yama knew that this was as close as the gap youkai would get to confessing more of her past, so she let it go.

Eirin had picked up a large book that was stilling nearby. Absentmindedly, she flipped through it. Then something caught her attention. "Who all have you brought back from the Netherworld to teach us, Eiki?"

"So far, we had Simo Hayha, Pancho Villa, Francis Marion, George S. Patton, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington, Robert E. Lee, the Red Baron, and a few others."

"This book, have any of you read it?" The Lunarian holds it up. "It's a very through book. We can learn a lot more from the author." The book was titled Infantry Attacks. The author was Erwin Rommel.

"Erwin Rommel? I haven't heard that name in a long time," Yukari pulled a textbook from a gap. "Earned the title of "The Desert Fox" during the last World War. Was able to turn a hopeless campaign around with limited support and supplies. Lived by a high moral code. Considered one of the best generals of all time."

"He's teachings would be extremely useful. Why haven't we got him yet?" Eirin asked.

"One of us appears to have an issue with their past. Until she comes to terms with it, Field Marshal Rommel's time won't really make that much of a difference." Shiki shook her head. "It's somewhat sad. She has nothing to be ashamed of."

"It took me a while but I finally see that."

Walking into the courtroom, Sakuya held her head high in her dark blue uniform. But it wasn't her regular maid uniform. This time she wore her German Army uniform, complete with her short saber and white gloves. Even with her bias against the earth's military history, Reisen couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Sakuya.

"None of you seemed surprised. Was I really that obvious?" Sakuya held her service cap under her left arm. It bore the silver German eagle with lightning held in its talons.

"The way you were always obedient to your master was a strong hint. That level of obedience can only come from either military training or being a sh. Add to this the fact that you were more mission type than directive type. That was a stronger hint, since that was how the Germans did so well in the Second World War." No one except Shiki and Eirin had never heard Yukari analyze someone so thoroughly. The gap youkai shrugged. "And I'm sure the others had their ways as well."

The yama held up her mirror. Eirin shrugged. "For a human to be able to last as long as you, it really was obvious. And Reisen's report on how quick you picked up the marksmanship courses were extra."

Yukari had taken to inspect Sakuya's uniform. The way the dark blue complemented the black trimming. The way that it was shaped to her. It was one of the best uniforms that she had seen.

"This uniform, is it one of the first production runs?" Yukari eyed the Sam Browne belt holding her saber.

"It was the one that Hugo Boss had as the sample to present to our High Command. He was so impressed with the way it looked on me that he had them issue it to only me. From what I heard, I was the only one with a uniform like this. It survived Europe, Russia and North Africa."

"This would be a great base for our own uniforms." Yukari pulled out her cell phone, snapped a quick picture, and sent it to Ran with instructions. "Don't worry. I told Ran to make sure that the kappas make some changes to everyone else's."

"I can't really argue with that."

"Now, I think it would be extremely useful if you could tell us what exactly you did during the war."

Lunar Palace, Lunar Capital

Behind the Lunar Palace stood a large field. Usually it was used by the Lunar Defense Corp as a lounging area. Now, it was filled with line infantry. The regiment closest to the palace had stopped and were rearranging into an infantry square. Seeing the more than 200 moon rabbits go from marching in a line to a perfect square in less than ten seconds satisfied Yorihime. Another regiment had gone from line to light infantry and back again and again.

"It's a little sad, isn't it sister?"

Toyohime had just returned from meeting with the scientific department of the Defense Corp. "We haven't had a real war in so long. And now there's a real chance that we could be sending them to their deaths. And what makes it worse is that they won't ever question us."

"Which is why we have to be absolutely sure about this. Master Eirin had asked for our help. I'll be at the front to make sure we can end this fast. Has the science department made any progress?"

"They already tested the prototype. And it worked flawlessly. The signal expanded copper casings to twice their original size. Our weapons were able to fire once every three seconds, a vast improvement over the estimates."

"And the body armor?"

"So far, all the tests are cleared. The next step is to speed up the conversion of our current uniforms to those with the threads sown in. Keeping the uniforms the same makes the change smoother."

"With all of our technological advances, isn't it ironic we have to resort to such an ancient style of fighting?" Toyohime waved toward the regiments that were drilling. "Even the Earth doesn't fight like this anymore.

"But some of them still train their armies this way. They may fight differently, but it comes from the discipline that the Line of Battle doctrine instills. Don't forget that we have trained them to be able to switch from Line of Battle to light infantry whenever the need arises. That's where our advantage comes from."


	11. Chapter 11

Hakueri Shrine

As usual, Reimu had finished sweeping the shrine and was drinking her tea. The events of the past couple of days had begun to take a toll on her. Since she was the Hakueri Shrine Maiden, she was expected to make sure that Gensokyo was well. Now with the land being dragged into what would be an extremely bloody conflict, she felt at odds with herself. She felt like this because of what she wanted. If she were able to achieve just one thing in her life, it would be a lasting peace, with no violence. Remiu had always hated the fact that she sometimes had to hurt someone to solve incidents. It just wasn't in her to do that and not worry about it. She had thought that by treating everyone the same, that she would stay detached. But that didn't happen.

A little over Reimu's head, a familiar gap opened. Yukari could tell from above that Reimu was starting to feel depressed. The youkai climbed out of her gap and sat down next to the miko. She was surprised to see bags under the younger woman's eyes. It was obvious that she had spent a few nights staying up to see if she could figure out a way to protect the land that she loved without having to resort to violence. But deep in her heart, she knew that that was impossible. And Remiu was at her breaking point.

It was just a little hiccup at first. Then she began to shake. Tears began to flow down her face. Yukari had only seen Remiu cry once. And the youkai had been involved. Guilt began to grip Yukari's heart. She pulled Remiu in close and held her. She was almost in tears herself. But what hurt Yukari the most was the one thing that Reimu kept asking.

"Why…Why…Why?"

Scarlet Devil Mansion Library

The sight of a large number of books in a pile on Patchouli's desk wasn't anything new. The same went for the librarian and her assistant floating here and there with research notes. In any other circumstances, Sakuya would have been hard press not to clean up after them. But today, she knew what they were doing and decided to let them be. She also had to escort Patchouli's visitor.

"Lady Patchouli, you have a visitor," Sakuya curtsied. She was acknowledged with a nod and dismissed. Reisen Udongein Inaba held a small paper bag. She had only been in the legendary Volie library once before, so she was still trying to let it sink in.

Patchouli finally managed to disengage herself from the notes and floated over to the rabbit, "So, your master's done with my request?"

"Yes, Master Eirin guarantees that this should calm down your asthma quite a bit. But she says that she needs you to come in for a full checkup before she can make it go away entirely."

"I can't really leave what I'm doing right now. I barely have enough time to eat and sleep. And it's probably going to get worse with that they told us happened during the negotiations."

"Master has been saying the same thing. But we have the Lunarians helping us now."

"Even so, I rather not leave anything to chance. But, there is another favor I would like to ask her."

Reisen could tell that Patchouli was reluctant to keep going and stayed silent.

"I want-no, I would like for Eirin to see about making a potion that would help someone that I can't." Patchouli walks over to a cabinet and pulls out a small bag. "This is Flandre's hair. I've researched every book I have here. But I can't find a cure for her insanity. I know that most people in Gensokyo are afraid of her, but it's not her fault. If they got to know here when she isn't in one of her episodes, she would have a lot more friends. Take these notes I made as well. And tell your master that I'm willing to pay anything to get her that cure."


	12. Chapter 12

Morioka, Iwate, Japan

It had taken longer than they expected to get to their destination. But Maribel and Renko were closing in on the old shrine that they had read about. For now, they were taking a small break in the capital city of the Iwate prefecture. Renko had picked up a copy of the day's paper, this one with the headline of "Battle at the UN: Gensokyo stands fast against international community". What really surprised the pair was the picture under the headline. It was of a woman that looked like an older version of Maribel with a parasol. Behind her a woman with fox tails stood stoically.

The news article described how the newcomers had somehow made their way into the main meeting room and confronted the UN General Assembly. But the newspaper had somehow managed to get a transcript of the entire incident, in which the woman had delivered an embarrassing rebuke to the American ambassador over an alleged invasion and assassination attempt. With that, the United States had demanded an apology but had not received a response. Political experts had predicted that the US was going to pursue embargos but had no idea what they how would. None of the pundits had any idea about what Gensokyo exported or imported. But the rumors were running wild.

Renko was trying to figure out the big picture based on the newspapers while Maribel was trying to figure out the meaning behind all of the recent dreams that she had been having. They were of various environments, but she knew that they were somewhere in Gensokyo. There were some of mountains, of plains, of a village, and of what looked like the moon's surface. The unsettling thing was that she could hear the sounds of machines in the background, something that she had never heard before. She had also seen dozens of what looked like bullet casings everywhere. The only explanation that Maribel could think of was that Gensokyo was preparing for a war. And the atmosphere of the outside world would not let them back down.

They both jumped when they heard the loud sound of a group of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fly over them. They bore the markings of the US Army and were flying low over the forest near the city. The residents of the city were busy staring at them, giving Maribel and Renko the impression that this did not happen every day. Behind them a fair distance away were a flight of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. All of the helicopters were flying deeper into the mountain, towards the shrine. The pair began to hurry and finish their lunch, a pair of sandwiches from a local shop. Once they were done, Renko pulled out a map of the surrounding area. The shrine was northwest of them, deep in the mountains and at the top of a long set of stairs.

"This is starting to get serious, Mary. If the entire international community goes against Gensokyo, it's not going to be pretty. And we still don't know much about it either. Are you still sure about going there?"

Maribel nodded. "There's a reason why I keep having those dreams. And I'm starting to warm up to them. I want to be able to visit and get to know Gensokyo, so that means that I have to protect it until I get the chance."

"We won't be able to do much if a war breaks out. Remember that we have no military experience."

"I still want to go. My family has had the ability to see Gensokyo for generations and I want to know why it's been pulling me lately. I know that I'm going but it would mean a lot to me if you would come too."

"Why do you still think I'm here? You know as well as I do that I'm always going to be right next to you. Don't ever doubt that."

Kirisame Magic Shop, Forest of Magic, Gensokyo

For once, Marisa was cleaning up the massive mess that she called home. On the nightstand, her dual revolvers had a bright sheen, a result of the witch's through cleaning. For most of the morning, she had been moving the books that she "borrowed" from Patchouli and Alice into separate piles. Then she noticed a very old one. The fact that it was old didn't catch her attention. It was that it looked familiar. She opens it and freezes.

Inside the book wasn't the list of spells or potion ingredients that she expected. It had pictures of a family. The family was made up of a mother, a father, and a little girl. The little girl had blonde hair and bright golden eyes. Marisa was so shaken that she didn't notice Alice had walked in. The puppeteer could tell that Marisa had stumbled across something that affected her.

Marisa had a storm of emotions that raged inside her as she stared at the pictures. Then something fell out of the book. The magician picked it up and saw that it was a medallion. It had the mini-hakkero etched on it, along with a book and a rose. She could feel a strong amount of power coming from it. There was a little hole on the top of it, perfect for a necklace. Alice sees it but still stays silent.

"Alice, why are you here?" Marisa speaks first to get her mind off the pictures. "You're never around these parts."

"Nitori had wanted me to stop by and give you this," She hands her a cell phone. "This is one of the things that Yukari wants everyone to have on them. All of our numbers are already in it. Marisa, do you want to talk about it?"

The witch shook her head and put the coin away in her pocket. She resolved to take it to Rinnosuke when she had a chance and to write a letter. Seeing how it had the mini-hakkero on it, Marisa knew that it had something to do with her. And who better to ask then the person that knew her the longest?

"Alice, why don't you go get yourself something from the kitchen? I'm sure that you haven't eaten yet." Marisa flinched inside at how out of character she sounded. Alice hesitated but went into find something anyway. The witch took the chance to quickly scan the photo album and take out a picture. She looks at it for a moment, then folds it and puts it under her hat. Wiping a tear from her eye, she joins Alice in making lunch.


	13. Chapter 13

Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon

Reisen couldn't believe that Yorihime and Toyohime had given her command of a regiment. And much less one of the royal regiments from the capital. But the entire 4th Regiment of Royal Foot stood in front of her, all 5,000 of them. And they would be the ones that would be the first on the ground when war reached Gensokyo. For now, they practiced the Line of Battle doctrine. As she rode her horse to inspect the battalions, she felt uneasy in how many lives she was responsible for. The moon rabbit finished her inspection and received a set of training orders. After dispersing them to her staff, she joined up with the headquarters battalion. An hour later, the entire regiment was marching out of the capital towards the mountains. On the way, the battalion commanders began to split up, presenting a smaller target to the training staff.

Half an hour of marching had Reisen in deep thought. It almost cost her when a swarm of cavalry ambushed them. The battalion commander was immediately taken down by the first wave, sending the battalion staff into confusion. Reisen was forced to take command as the various company commanders were dispatched. "All companies, square formation! Make two rows and stagger them out!"

As expected of elite troops, every company immediately formed infantry squares and stalled the cavalry charges. Reisen was forced to take direct command of the headquarter company when the commander was knocked down by a runaway horse. But her side wasn't the only one with riders being launched. When the enemy cavalry hit the square, over half the riders were flying in the air. A single unit broke through the line and charged at Reisen. She drew her saber and rushed forward, narrowly missing her target. Her opponent moved in, unleashing a storm of slashes. Reisen blocked every one of them but almost lost her balance. One of her troops was knocked back into her horse, causing him to rear up and knock her off. Hitting the ground, she lost her grip on her saber. Her opponent moved in for the final strike when Reisen drew her sidearm and fired. Without a rider, the horse turned and ran off. Looking around, the regiment is winning decisively. She spots the commanding rider and aims her sidearm. She tries to fire and hears a click. Her target sees her and tries to cut her. Reisen blocks the attack with her sidearm but staggers back. The next strike forces her to a knee. Now with the advantage, the commander has the horse rear up and try to trample her. The moon rabbit rolls to her left and picks up a rifle from a fallen subordinate. Now with a weapon that she was comfortable with, she reverted back to her infantry training.

Reisen launches a strike with the bayonet but is knocked down. She spins back up and presses the attack. This time, the stab connects. Without a master, the horse turns and flees from the battle. The commander falls on the ground just as several loud explosions erupt. On the higher ground that the cavalry had come from, six cannons were formed up. Each was being reloaded quickly, forcing Reisen to issue new orders while she ran to retrieve her saber. "All companies, line formation now! Skirmishers, screen those cannons, time now!"

With the rest of the companies covering them, a little less than a company's worth of skirmishers rushed towards the cannons. They were aiming to buy time for the rest to form up and get into firing range. Spreading out, they lessened the effect that the artillery would have on their ranks. Once they were close enough, they dropped to a knee and opened fire. Immediately reloading, they crouched even lower to present a smaller profile. Back with the main group, Reisen had rushed to the front of the lead company. Positioning herself next to the standard bearer, she began to rally her troops. The cannons were still being fired upon, but their crews were using every bit of cover they could. Because of that, the reloading process was slowed down a bit. The head company was about 350 meters from the line of cannons, causing Reisen to perform a set of calculations that she didn't like.

Waiting until they were 250 meters off, she raised her rifle and gave the command that she hated the most. "All companies, charge the cannons. Not one step back!" As one, what was left of her regiment began to sprint. The adrenaline began to pump even more as the cannons fired into the approaching mass. At 100 meters, the cannons began to fire grapeshot. The first volley was the worst. Reisen almost broke off when she saw the spread hit multiple companies and dozens of her troops went down.

The standard bearer next to her was hit and began to topple down. Releasing her hold on her own weapon, Reisen grabs the flag before it hits the ground. Seeing their commander continuing the charge inspired the rest to finish the last 50 meters to the cannons. The first elements reached them just as the crews were halfway done with reloading. Striking forward with the standard, the moon rabbit knocked down the commander of the largest cannon. A round bounced off the rifle of one her troops next to her and destroyed it. Reisen tosses the standard to her and pulls out her sidearm again. Seeing this, her opponent pulls out her own. Both of them pull the trigger but hear clicks.

The skirmishers had been forced to shift fire when the rest of the regiment had gotten too close to the cannons. For now, they were reloading and pulling security. The rest of the regimental and battalion staff that had made it were going around the brawl, looking for space to charge in. Inside the brawl, Reisen was busy trading pistol whips with her opponent. She was hoping for a block to unjam the round in the chamber. Around her, the sounds of rifles going off masked some of the yells and screams of the battle. Her opponent was backing away, trying to make space to draw her saber. Reisen pressed forward and slammed her sidearm into her helmet. The weapon made a loud click, signaling that the jammed round was cleared. She raises it and fires. One loud boom and her opponent falls to the ground.

Reisen checks the pistol to make sure that another jam hadn't occurred and took a deep breath. Seeing their commander fall, the rest of the crews broke away from the brawl. As the companies began to form themselves up, the regimental and company staff began to run down the enemy.

"All company commanders, get me accountability!" Reisen had to pretend to be inspecting a fallen rifle to hide the shaking from the adrenaline letdown. All the movement around her kept her from seeing the movement to the side. One of the crew that went down earlier wasn't completely down and was reaching for a fallen pistol. The moon rabbit hears the movement and spins around. She brings up her weapon and hears a loud boom.


	14. Chapter 14

Mountain top, Bhava-Agra

Tenshi Hinanawi had never liked the meetings that her father had made her attend. Ever since the earthquake incident that she had caused, her father had been doing his best to turn her into a proper Celestial. First, it had been studying all of the Buddhist teachings, then it was studying the arts and humanities. The one thing that Tenshi took pride in as a Celestial, her fighting ability, would had been neglected if she hadn't sneaked a few fights here and there. And finally, she had to participate in the administration of heaven. That meant a lot of paperwork and boring meetings.

But what worried her about the meeting today was seeing Yukari Yakumo speaking with her father. Tenshi didn't know if Yukari was still mad about the shrine incident so that made it worse. The Celestial knew that Yukari had bigger things to worry about than her, or at least she hoped.

For now she was sitting down with the Hisou no Tsurugi planted in front of her. Her hat was hung on the handle, letting the wind flow through her hair. The 10 minute break that came every hour was the only thing that save her from falling asleep during the meetings. To her, it was the same old stuff: paperwork, regulations, more paperwork.

The bell in the meeting hall rang, signaling the end of the break. Tenshi sighed as she got her sword and hat and started to walk back in. Inside the hall, representatives from all the major families were socializing before the meeting got underway. Tenshi sat at her family's area, hoping that she wouldn't be drawn into another boring conversation. Then Yukari walked in.

Tenshi tensed, a million possibilities swirling around in her head. Her stomach dropped when the gap youkai sat down next to her father. In front of him, there was a usually large amount of paperwork. The Eldest Daughter was hoping that the worse that was going to happen was that Yukari would trick her into doing excessive paperwork. It was something that the youkai would do after all. But there was a strange look on her father's face, almost as if he was tired.

The bell rang once more, announcing the start of business. Tenshi leaned back in her chair, hoping that this meeting would be boring as the rest. She began to munch on a peach, one of the pack that she always carried in her apron. She almost chokes when Yukari takes the floor.

"I want to thank all of the heads of the families for allowing me the opportunity to speak here today. As all of you are aware, the outside world is starting to take up arms against Gensokyo. I wish I could tell you the reason, but even I don't know it. What I can tell you is that we must be ready to defend ourselves in the coming war. For that reason, we have been training some of our best to take up that task. From your group, we have trained Tenshi Hinanawi."

Tenshi knew that she was going to be dragged into something big. She thought about looking around for escape routes but decided against it when she remembered the past few weeks of training. So she stayed and braced for the worst.

"The entire planet will be fighting against us in the war. To counter that, everybody in Gensokyo must come together and fight as one. We all have different abilities that make us powerful by ourselves. But that way, we would fall one by one. United, we can hold off and defeat this invasion. And with that, I'll ask this: will the Celestials join us in the defense of Gensokyo?"

The room was silent for a few moments and then Tenshi's father stood up. "Lady Yakumo, you do bring up several good points. A Celestial will never back away from a fight, be it physical or philosophical. But, none of us have any actual experience in the modern techniques of war."

"Your daughter does."

Every pair of eyes turned to focus on Tenshi. She knew that this was going to happen. Her father began to understand where this was heading. "What does my daughter have to do with this, Lady Yakumo?"

"Your daughter has had training from some of the best warriors in history. We're going to need everyone that we can get but, you're daughter has a special talent that could save countless lives."

"Lady Yakumo, I don't mean to argue, but she isn't exactly the best choice for this and-"

Hearing her own father doubt her hit Tenshi worse than anything else. She thought of standing up and doing something, anything to express her anger but stayed seated. Yukari looked him straight in the eye and asked something that no one else had.

"You really love your daughter, don't you? That's why you're protecting her."

The room went silent. Every Celestial present knew that he was strict and demanding of her, but had never considered that he was protective. From how he's been treating her, it seem like he wanted to break her down.

"Lady Yakumo, I do not see what that has to do with anything."

"You know as well as I do that there will be death and suffering in this war. You were telling me earlier that you had been studying the history of the outside world for a while as a hobby. Then it should be obvious that war is a horrible thing. But it is also one of the most important events to happen in history. In war, one's true character is shown to the world. Cowardice isn't kept secret for long while heroism is content with being quiet in the background. No one knows for sure when our time is up, but I'm sure that most of us want to know that we died with honor. I'm sure that your daughter would want to do her part to help protect Gensokyo from this dire threat. She does have a little regret over the incident that she caused some time back."

Tenshi's thoughts were spinning. First, her father had doubted her and now wanted to protect her. Then Yukari was putting faith in her unknown talent and was trying to get her to agree to this. If she learned one thing from everything that her father had made her study, it was that she would have to be the one to make the choice. And that it was time to stop acting like a child.

"I'll do it." As soon as Tenshi spoke, the entire room went quiet. "If it means that I can make up for the incident, then I'm in. All I ask is that you tell me why you need me so bad."

"You're one of the sharpest Celestials here." The room became full of glares. "Even though you're fonder of fighting, you still have a natural skill with many intellectual aspects. Given the right training, you could have been the head of the Celestials. From what I seen, you're on the way to that training. This conflict is a great opportunity for you to finish this. But it won't be easy. The only thing that I can guarantee you is that it will be a long and hard time. But it won't be as bad as it was for Reimu after you destroyed her shrine."

Tensing up, Tenshi knew that that had to come up again. "I did my best to make it up by helping to rebuild it. Shouldn't that be in the past now?"

"You tried to put a keystone in it. But, I'll make you a deal. Perform your duties to the best of your abilities and all will be forgiven. Do we have an agreement?"

Tenshi nodded. "All right. But I still have one question. Why are we using outside weapons? Shouldn't we be fine with using just spell cards or magic?"

"We have always followed the spell card rules ever since the Vampire incident. But their only purpose was to establish a set of procedure for settling conflicts between youkai and humans in a nonlethal way. The outside world does not respect that. They solve their conflicts permanently. If we were to use the spell card rules when we be wiped out. We could remove the no death clause, but that would only delay the inevitable. What I have been developing with the kappas is a method to imbed magic and spell cards into bullets. With that method, we could match the outside world in terms of technology and still retain what made us different: magic. So far, we had have a successful test with two revolvers that were developed for Marisa Kirisame. Given enough time, we could have custom weapons for everyone." Yukari began to open a gap. "That's all the time I have for today. Tenshi, you should talk to you father to get everything still up. Your duty will be to coordinate between the main force and the Celestial one. Even though you might not be on the front line, you still need to be prepared for combat."

With that, the gap youkai turned around and left the meeting, leaving a very confused daughter and father.


	15. Chapter 15

Eientei, Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo

Eirin was watching Reisen maintain her original Lunar service rifle. The moon rabbit was wiping down the barrel with a rag and putting it back together. She rotates the bolt and inspects the chamber. Once clear, she rotates it back and begins to put her tools up. Eirin waited until she was done and motion her to follow. The doctor led her to a room that was always locked. Once she went inside, Reisen understood why.

The room was a good size, but almost none of the wall could be seen. On the left wall, an old Lunarian family crest was hung in front of two Lunarian Defense Corps Artillery sabers. On both sides, dozens of pictures of various units were hung. Each one had Eirin in them. Opposite that, a shadow box protected a ribbon rack that held an insane amount of ribbons. There were so many that it would had been impossible for Eirin to wear them all. The medals next to them were so numerous they looked like they were bending the wall. Every single medal awarded for valor and service was represented on that wall, some were phased out before Reisen was even born. At the front of the room, a mannequin was wearing a Lunar Defense Corps uniform. It was in the same style as Reisen's, except it had trousers instead of a skirt. The service cap on the mannequin's head bore the crest of the Lunarian Defense Corps Medical Service, and surrounded by a ring of stars that never repeated in color.

On the desk in the center, a small wooden box sat. Eirin had sat down at the desk and was opening it. Inside, a well maintained Mauser C96 like pistol bore the same crest on the wall. Seeing Reisen standing in the room, Eirin beckons to the chair in front of her.

"Are you surprised, Reisen? I did serve in the Corps for a bit during my younger days and did get a few awards. I wanted you to see that I do have a reason for my antics."

All Reisen could do was nod and to try to pick her jaw up off the floor.

"Even though I helped with founding the Lunar civilization, I still wanted to do some community service. So I decided to join the Lunar Defense Corps and serve on the frontlines instead of some office. I learned a lot from my time in and it still influences me to this day." She turns and points at the service cap. "I started out with the Medical Service and did some of my best work there. See those stars around the crest? They each represent the different branches of the Corps that I was assigned to at one time or another. I was the only one to serve in more than one branch. My primary job was to heal and make medicine on the battlefield but, I was also trained in every branch to be able to take over in an instant. And I mean every branch: Infantry, Calvary, Engineer, Intelligence, Artillery, Capital Guard, and Royal. And it was in one battle a long time ago where I had to take advantage of that training."

1500 years prior, Dark Side of the Moon

The rocky side of the mountain would had made a good trail for hiking. But only if there weren't bullets and screams everywhere. Eirin dashed from rock to rock, a prime target due to the snake and needle on her shoulder that marked her as a member of the Medical Service. Tracer rounds tear at the rocks inches from her, sending annoying pellets everywhere. Pulling out a small mirror, she angles it to spot the machine gun nest higher up on the opposing ridge. Doing a few quick calculations, she decides to take the risk. Sprinting out, she raises her sidearm and fires three shots. The machine gunner clutches at her neck and falls out of the nest. The assistant gunner takes over and keeps firing.

Eirin's about ten feet from cover when she feels something hit her chest with the force of a sledgehammer. She lets out a grunt and dives behind the rock. Turning over quickly, she quickly applies pressure but stops when she doesn't feel any wetness. She sighs in relief when she remembers her body armor. Taking out the plate to inspect it, her heart drops when she sees how deep and where the impact crater is: right above the heart. A bullet ricochets near her, bringing her attention back to the battle. Shoving the damaged plate back into the carrier, she checks her sidearm. The shell from the last round had been jammed between the bolt and the chamber, making the weapon useless until a strong enough impact knocked it out. She puts it away and pulls out her bow. Quickly assembling some arrows, she looks around for her next cover.

Seeing her chance, she stands up and fires an arrow. As soon as she releases the string, she drops down. A second later, the machine gun falls silent and Eirin rushes to her next spot. Expecting gunfire during her run, she's surprised when it's silent. Looking back, she sees that the last assistant is fleeing in the opposite direction. Deciding not to pursue, the doctor rushes to go over a nearby ridge. But before she can go over it, she's forced to drop to the prone as bullets fly towards her. On the way down, her hip falls on a rock, hitting the holstered weapon. She hears a loud ding and checks her weapon. The impact had unjammed the round and had reloaded the weapon. Smiling at her luck, she brings it up and acquires her sight picture, ignoring the zips of the bullets that narrowly miss her.

Holding steady for a few seconds, she catches her breath. Before she can squeeze the trigger, she hears a familiar whistling sound. Her heart drops again and she drops her face into the ground while covering her hears. Seconds later, a loud explosion is heard as mortar rounds hit the ground near her. She remembers spotting a cave near and takes the risk of raising her head. She spots it but is forced to drop her head as a nearby hit sends dirt and rocks flying at her. Getting up and sprinting, she sees that the mortar team adjusts their aim hoping to cut her off.

Eirin is forced to change direction as the incoming rounds block her path to the cave. Deciding to take out the mortar team, she starts to calculate the distance to them. They were 700 meters away, a distance that she was sure that she could hit with her arrows. She jumps and tackles a boulder to change her direction again and gets under a tree. Wanting to use only one arrow to take out the entire team, she pulls out a grenade and ties it to the shaft. She flips the clip away and pulls the pin. With one fluid motion she draws and fires the arrow into the air. The trajectory is a little lower than she expected but was still enough. Just as the arrow was a meter or two above the ground, the grenade went off, hitting the entire team. Not waiting to see how effective it was, Eirin turned and dashed to the cave.

Halfway there, the infantry that had stopped her at the ridge caught up and began to fire at her. As the gunfire rained down all around her, a round bounced off her helmet, causing her to stumble. More mortars began to rain down again, this time from another mortar team that had just arrived. With all the noise around her, Eirin began to hear a ringing in her ears. With each step she took, the ringing got worse and worse. Just as it seems that she's not going to make it, she dives into the safety of the cave. Quickly pulling herself together, she pokes her head up a little.

Over a ridge, a platoon of infantry are taking up defensive positions around the cave as the mortar team moves closer. One of the infantry spots her and starts to shoot. Eirin is forced to duck down again as bullets hit around her. Starting to get tired of being shot at, she begins to assess her situation. Her side arm had 4 magazines left, her bow had 13 arrows, she still had two grenades, and she had her saber. Taking another peek outside, she counts three heavy weapons, one mortar and numerous light arms. The odds weren't in her favor.

Not wanting to make it easy for her opponents, she flips the clip and pulls the pin slightly out of her last grenade. Tying it to her wrist, she plans on fighting to the last. Using her mirror, she prioritizes her targets. If she can get the right angle, she can hit an officer and her aide. Calculating that she could stand out from behind cover for about 2 and a half seconds, she readies her bow and arrow. Jumping sideways, she brings it up and releases. Landing on her side, she can see the hail of bullets that occupied the space she was in just now. Frowning at how off her calculations were, she checks her handiwork with her mirror. The officer and the aide were both down, causing the remaining troops to become a little uneasy.

Dusting herself off, she starts to assess her next course of action when she hears yelling. Poking her head out, she sees all of them charging at the cave, including the mortar team. Scrambling up, she readies all of her ammo and weapons. Taking a deep breath, she draws her saber and sidearm and waits.


	16. Chapter 16

Yakumo Residence, Gensokyo

For the first time in living memory, Yukari hadn't had made a beeline for her bed or couch. Instead, she's locked away in her massive library. For the last few hours, there had been strange lights and noises coming from inside the room. Ran was cooking her and Chen's dinner when there was a knock on the door. Yuyuko's gardener, Youmu, had been sent to deliver a package to the gap youkai. It was in a long and narrow box with a bit of weight to it. The half ghost, half human declines their invitation to dinner and quickly returns home to her duties.

Inside the library, Yukari stands in front of board plastered with papers. They all contain complex equations, diagrams of spell circles, and multiple charts. On the desk next to her, a Mosin Nagant laid with the chamber unloaded and a bayonet. Beside it, copies of Nitori's notes were scattered about. Those contained drawings of a Ruger Blackhawk and Marisa's spell cards. They were the designs of Marisa's custom weapons. Due to the Ordinary Magician's magic of choice being concentrated on light and heat, the spell cards had taken well to bullets. For everyone else, the magic was taking some time to iron out.

As she stared at her notes, she was steadily isolating the proper method. Absentminded, she reaches into one of her gaps and pulls out the package. Exercising extreme care, she unwraps it to reveal a katana. Even to the untrained eye, it was obvious that it was a masterpiece. Just above the handle guard, on opposite sides, a cherry blossom and a ying-yang orb were engraved. The balance was beautiful and the blade was perfect. It was the same weapon that Yukari had used during the first Genso-Lunar war. She had given it to Yuyuko to hold ever since the Spring Snow incident. She smiles a bit before she returns to work.

While she double checks her calculations, the gap youkai starts to wonder about another problem. Patchouli had recently asked her to ask Flandre to take some medicine that Eirin had made. It was supposed to cure her bouts of insanity but Flandre didn't like taking any type of medicine. So Yukari had to convince her to. Remilia and Sakuya didn't know about this yet since Patchouli didn't want them to worry anymore about her. So, Yukari had arranged a day out of mansion to see if she could convince Flandre then. It was a little something to get both of their minds off the current situation. But it was more for Flandre. The gap youkai could tell that a sharp mind was being suppressed by that insanity. And she would be called up to use that mind in the upcoming conflict.

Yukari shook her head. She was already planning a General Staff and they haven't even come up with a name for their defense. Then it came to her: the Gensokyo Defense Force. It was short and to the point. Next up was the organization. She had read a history on the American Civil War and was intrigued on how they organized their army by region. That would work for Gensokyo since it was so small. How to set the regions up came easier. The Scarlet Devil Mansion would be under Remilia, the Human Village under Keine, Eientei would be under Kaguya and Eirin, the Moriya Shrine under Kanako, Higan under Eiki, Hakugyokurou under Yuyuko, the Myouren temple under Byakuren, the Taoist temple under Miko, and the Forest of Magic under Alice. Remiu had made it clear that she would hold the shrine, so she was attached there for the foreseeable future.

Her cell phone began to vibrate, letting her now that she had a text message. It was from Nitori. The kappas had finally managed to reproduce a working SU-47 fighter. Yukari was pleased with the progress that the engineers were making in arming them. She texts back an acknowledgement. On the wall next to the door, a chart with readiness data was showing a 15% completion. Then the perfect method to contain the magic in the bullet hits her and she smiles again.

Hakugyokurou, Gensokyo

The group of operatives that Yukari had sent were sitting on the ground in the garden in a circle. For the past few days that they were here, they were treated as guests. The only restriction was that they were required to give their word that they would not try to escape. All of them agreed and were wondering what they would do after they wore out their welcome. The first thing they noticed was that the gardener was keeping a close, untrusting eye on them. And that she was skilled with both of the blades that she carried.

Right now, Youmu was practicing some of her high speed techniques. Yuyuko was walking towards the group, eating a Smores Pop Tart. They all tense up, expecting the worse.

"Now, now, don't get all jumpy. I'm just here to enjoy the cherry blossoms." Yuyuko was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. Checking, she reads for a second and puts the phone up. "That was Yukari just now. She says that there's no reason for us to keep all of you here anymore."

The operatives tense up again and it's even worse when Youmu starts to walk towards them.

"So, all of you have a choice. You can either stay here and fight alongside us or you can go home to your families and try to stay out of this mess. If you stay here, we can arrange to move your families here and give you a new home in the village. It's not much compared to the outside world but it's peaceful, most of the time. If not, Yukari can send you straight home and you can figure out what to do after that." Yuyuko pauses. "She wants an answer by tonight. I want all of you to know that I enjoyed having all of you here. Even Youmu liked having guests that helped with chores."

As Yuyuko was speaking, Rumia had arrived. Ever since they were captured, the youkai had been visiting the operatives. Sometimes the conversations would turn into a confusing mass, but the operatives still enjoyed her company. They had even given Yuyuko a recipe for chocolate so that they would make some for her.

Hearing what Yuyuko had said, Rumia looked at them, wondering if they were going to leave. Every single operative, despite being a trained and seasoned solider, couldn't help but have tears that matched the little youkai's. They all began to think of ways that they wouldn't make her sad but weren't having any luck. Yuyuko felt bad for delivering the message and left to call Yukari, hoping that there was a way to prevent this.


	17. Chapter 17

Washington, DC, United States

It had been a while since a thunderstorm this bad had hit the area. The Director of the CIA was standing under the Jefferson Memorial watching the river. His bodyguard was waiting at the car, keeping an eye out. After a few minutes of waiting, a man wearing an overcoat and fedora joins the director. He hands him an envelope and walks off. As soon as he's around the corner, he disappears.

The director opens the letter and reads it. Then he pulls out a Zippo and burns it and the envelope. Kicking the ashes to be sure, he closes his eyes for a bit. Then with a sneer, he pulls out a prepaid cell phone and dials a number. Once he hears it connect, he hangs up and stomps on it. Picking up the remains, he throws it into the river.

On his way back to his car, he pulls out a lapel pin. Ignoring the tempest, he pins it on. Once inside the car, he orders his driver to stop at the closest coffee shop. He knows that the next few nights are going to be long and without sleep. He sits back in his sit and enjoys the wine that he keeps in the kick panel. He mindlessly rubs the lapel pin as he sips.

The pin is the same as the seal on the envelope that he had received earlier. He would never wear a pin like that on his own, but his plan required every bit of luck that he could get. And his benefactor did have a dash of narcissism. It still eluded his mind how someone that he never heard of could guarantee him the presidency of the United States. And why he trusted someone that used a seal with a fat catfish on it.

Then the phone rings, bringing him out of his musings. It's from his assistant back at the office. A bomb had gone off at a dinner that was attended by many of the highest officials. Both the President and the Vice President were severely injured, enough that they would not be able to perform their duties. The Cabinet was unharmed but the Director had amassed a large group of files that would ruin their careers. Immediately ordering his driver back to the CIA headquarters, he hides a sinister smile at how the catfish's words had come true.

Morioka, Iwate, Japan

After scouting the ancient shrine and being turned away by NATO military police, Maribel and Renko had returned to the city. It was a long walk and they were both tired, so they stopped at the first restaurant they saw. Enjoying the pizza that they ordered, they were watching the news when it was interrupted. Reports of an attack on the President of the United States and his staff were flooding in from all the major networks. At that very moment, the most senior member of the administration, the Speaker of the House, was giving a press conference when he was interrupted. He was taken away by members of the Secret Service and the Director of the CIA took his spot at the podium.

For some strange reason, Maribel felt a sense of danger from him, even though he was thousands of miles away. And the pin that he wore on his lapel didn't sit right with her. The man carried a large stack of files and was waving them around. Everyone in the room had gone quiet and was tense.

"I have documents here that show that the highest levels of government have been infiltrated by agents from Gensokyo. They are the ones responsible for the bombing tonight! We have given them ample opportunities to come into the international community to open arms! And this is how they repay us? Our national security is being attacked at this very moment! So, in order to make sure that no one else must be attacked, we are giving Gensokyo one last chance to turn over those responsible. Hear this Gensokyo: you have 1 week, I say again, 1 week to stand down for occupation. If you do not stand down, we will use all necessary military force against you. Do not be fools and fight, we have you out numbered."

Maribel didn't hear anymore, her head was spinning. Why was this man so set on destroying the land that she had come to love? Didn't they understand that Gensokyo was hiding for a reason? And why were military forces already around the gateway?

Renko pulled out the map that they were using and was studying it. She had taken a course in military history and was trying to figure out the most probable avenue of approach. Then she remembered that they had given Gensokyo a week. It was going to turn into a siege.

"Mary, it's a siege! They're trying to stall for time, it's just the United States for now."

"But what about Russia? They're still mobilized after that helicopter was stolen."

"They still need time to gather all their forces and move into position. Remember those MPs back there? They were American and British. So NATO's going to be doing the main push. At least that's how I see it."

"We have to go back." Maribel was steeling herself. "We can't just stand here doing nothing."

"It'll take time to get supplies and get past that perimeter. We're going to have to plan all of this out too. We could make in about 3 or 4 days if we go through the deepest part of the forest. And if we do make it there, what are going to do? We can't really fight all of those armies toe to toe."

"I don't know." Maribel sounded like she was getting more and more depressed. "I don't know but I still have to be there."

Renko stepped forward and hugged her best friend. "Don't worry about that now. I told you that I would go with you to the shrine. I don't care how long it takes but I'm going to get you there."

They both look up when they see 6 CH-47 Chinook helicopters loaded with artillery and bearing the markings of the United States Army fly towards the shrine. On the ground, NATO Humvees were heading there was well. It was clear: the countdown had begun.


	18. Chapter 18

Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo-1 Week Remaining

Yukari had instantly arrived while the press conference was still going on. She sent out a mass text message to all of the faction heads to meet her there. One by one, they had arrived and were silently waiting. Yukari had also sent a text to Patchouli and Flandre, asking them to attend. Then she had opened a gap for Rinnosuke to attend.

Now with everyone present, Yukari began to speak. "All of you heard the press conference just now. We have one week to get everything ready. As of right now, we have only the Americans to worry about but we have concrete evidence that the Russians and the British will be joining too. And it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for the rest of NATO to move against us."

The gap youkai brought out a G36 rifle. "Three days ago, I finally perfected the method of infusing spell cards and magic into bullets. This is one of the production models and many more different weapons will be available. The kappas have already started production and are about 60 percent done with the modifications. And we are starting to build an air force. All of the fuselages are done and only wiring and armaments are left to finish. Due to an incredible stroke of luck, we have also managed to secure a training manual for every aircraft we stole the designs to. The kappas, along with major help from Kosuzu Motoori, have condensed the manuals to only the most necessary of information. With the pilots I have in mind, they should be ready with only two days of training. And all of you already know the chain of command and the organization of the Gensokyo Defense Force."

She wave Patchouli and Flandre forward. "I have asked Patchouli to create a spell that would create a large map of the surrounding area that would provide us with real time positions and descriptions of every single unit within a 35 mile range. She has succeeded and agreed to install it in every command post. Flandre has been taking medicine lately that cuts down on her bouts of insanity a great deal. Because of that, she's also discovered an incredible skill with strategy and tactics of modern combat. She's the one that will be running numbers and scenarios for the upcoming battle. Why don't I let her explain what we're expecting?"

"From what Lady Yukari has been telling me, we're going to be in for a siege until they get at least a 250 to 1 advantage." Flandre sounded much more mature than usual. "The tengus have taken pictures that show artillery being brought in, but the barrier should be good to stop it, as long as they don't get in. The main point of attack's going to be the Hakueri Shrine since it's the gateway. We should be able to hold them off there and then counter with the Celestial artillery if they get past the line."

While Flandre was giving the briefing, Patchouli was casting the map spell. Once it was set, she gave the vampire a nod and stepped back.

"I can plan for attacks that come from ground forces and artillery. The tengus will have to keep the sky clear to prevent airborne and air assault units from getting in deeper. And we have to be on the lookout for special operation units that will try to bypass the main attack. The ones that are the most likely to succeed are the American Army Rangers and American Marine Recon. Until we can be sure that other factions are on the field, I'm not worrying about the SAS and Speztnaz."

Flandre's presentation left the room amazed and Yukari proud. The vampire was a really sharp kid that only needed a little help to reach her potential.

"But we also have to plan for a worst case scenario. If we cannot hold the Shrine, then we have to make them pay for every inch of land that they take. And we have to have a national redoubt, somewhere where we can make a last stand and hold out until we can figure out something. For that, I recommend Hakugyokurou, if Lady Yuyuko agrees. It has the ability to be easily defended and it would mess with the enemy mentally to fight in the Netherworld."

Yuyuko nodded. "If everyone else agrees, then I'm good with it too. But won't that mean my forces won't be on the front?"

"That's right, Lady Yuyuko," Flandre nodded. "For the redoubt to be truly effective, there have to be fresh troops ready for a defense. However, I do have an idea for your gardener. She does have a skill set that most of the outside world would find hard to counter: close quarters combat at high speeds. Patchy can explain more."

The librarian stepped forward and opened her book. "Humans have always been weaker physically than most of us youkai and have to rely on weapons to close the gap. With Youmu's skill set focusing on close combat and speed, she would be a perfect counter if we took firearms out of the equation. So I've been developing a spell to achieve that. I have not come up with the right incantation. What I have come up with is a spell that disables long range air to air missiles and an automation spell for field and anti-air artillery. Due to the materials I used, we can call it the Copper spell for now. But I will need some time to get it ready."

Yukari began to speak again. "All of you can see that we have made great progress towards making ourselves a modern fighting force that can utilize magic. What we need now is for all of you to organize rehearses for your troops and weapons. The more we practice, the less damage and losses we'll take. And one last thing, most opening attacks in war involve taking out the chain of command before the main engagement begins. Therefore, all battle butlers must stay close to their masters unless there are extraordinary circumstances."

Beckoning Rinnosuke forward, she continues her train of thought. "Rinnosuke has assured me that we have enough weapons to arm everyone in Gensokyo and plenty of ammunition. But due to an unforeseen mishap, we had to delay the movement of the big rounds, mostly the air to surface missiles for the Apaches. So the aircraft will be delayed for a bit. The Scarlet Devil Mansion has already been prepared to defend our airspace until the aircraft can contribute. But the most important thing is for all of us to be armed."

There was no arguing with the gap youkai's logic. And they had expected something like that, so they had arranged for the kappas to finish their personal sidearms first. It was painfully obvious that the paradise of Gensokyo was quickly being shattered.

Kourindou, near the Forest of Magic, Gensokyo-6 Days Remaining

Rinnosuke had always wondered when this day would arrive. But he had never expected it to happen when Gensokyo would be on the brink of an all-out war for survival. He sighed as he put his book down and wiped his glasses.

"I was hoping that you would have asked at a better time. I mean, who waits until the eve of a war to start cleaning their house?"

"I cleaned my house plenty of times. It's just that I have a lot of stuff that I keep just in case it's important."

"Like spare candy wrappers?"

"You're avoiding my question, Kourin."

The shopkeeper kept drinking his tea to stall for more time. Once he was out, he had to give in. "That medallion that you found was yours to start with. It was made for you shortly after your birth and has your family crest on it. It was obvious as soon as you were born that you had the ability to use magic. So your family began to look for a teacher to make you powerful enough to defend the village against youkai whenever the Hakueri shrine maiden wasn't available. The medallion was made to increase your magical power and boost your other abilities. As long as you have it, you might as well use it for the war. Mima's amplification spell can last for decades, so you don't have to worry about it sputtering out at the worst possible time." But something else was bothering him. He chose his next words carefully, "Marisa, have you given any thought to talking with your father again?"

Wordlessly, she pulls out an envelope and puts it on the desk. "I want you to give him this letter if I don't make it back."

"No."

Marisa just stared at him. She had never know him to be so forceful in all the time she knew him. But he had an angry look in his eyes and he had to steady his hand on the table.

"Don't ever do anything like that again. You go into this thinking like that, it's not going to end well. If you want that letter delivered to your father, you're going to have to deliver it yourself. I am not going to give you any reason not to come back. Your father would be furious and I would too. And don't forget that you still owe some on your tab."

The magician was still speechless. But the one thing that she realized was that she was sounding like she had given up. She takes the letter back and puts it in her apron pocket. Grabbing her broom, she makes her way to the door. Pausing, she tips her hat. "Thanks, Kourin." Then she takes to the sky, not caring about the tears that flowed from her eyes,

Rinnosuke watched her go, remembering how she grew up. From the first day that he met her when he was working at her father's shop, to her visiting him when he had opened his own, helping her get the supplies to fix up the old house that she had moved into in the middle of the forest, to getting somewhat annoyed at her and Remiu for their antics every time they came to window shop and upgrading the Mini-Hakkero. He wasn't a religious man, but he prayed that both Marisa and Remiu would be safe during the upcoming struggle. And to add an extra bit of insurance, he walks to the back room and returns with a long and narrow box. Opening it, he pulls out a NTW 20 anti-materiel rifle. He admires the 20 x 80 mm round that he keeps in the box with it, a round big enough to be considered a cannon round.

That rifle had cost him a special favor from Yukari but had been worth it. She had told him that it would be enough to take down anything that came at him but had doubted his ability to lift it. He had ignored her last remark and carried off the almost 65 pound weapon one handed.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thought I should go ahead and throw out another chapter due to the fact that it's a special day for me today. I have to warn that there will be instances of strong language from now on. After all, Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training, and actual combat don't have filters. But I promise that I won't turn it into a high school brawl or a typical internet argument ( but it would have been fun though). I do try to keep everything accurate but I'm always welcome to correction. That's all I got, so enjoy the word show.

Outside the Hakueri Barrier, Northern Japan-6 Days Remaining

Ever since they got the warning order, the American 2nd infantry division had been on edge. They had heard about some of the things that had happened during the so called Gensokyo incident and now they were here, in their backyard. And not of all them were ready for this. For now, a vanguard had arrived and was setting up a line around what military intelligence said was the only way in and out of the area.

Several Forward Operating Bases were set up, with Signal Corps soldiers running around establishing communication lines and keeping an eye on every shadow. Infantry were going on patrol and bringing back reports of people flying in the sky. Artillery batteries were finishing last minute setups and were jumpy. Helicopters were flying overhead, careful not to pass the limit of advance and provoke the beginning of the war.

Momiji was taking care to stay hidden in the tree line, H&K MSG90 rifle at the ready. She can see that most of the officers and staff were staying within the deepest part of the bases, and that they were uneasy at being in this environment. She focuses on the radio operator next to them and memorizes the frequency of the radio. But what she can't really understand was the satellite dish that one of them was carrying on his back. So she marks it as a priority target and moves on.

Paying special attention to the patches on the soldiers' soldiers, she finds that most of them are 2nd Infantry and that there are various other small groups. Some that she spotted are 101st Airborne, 82nd Airborne, 3rd Infantry, and some from the 1st Infantry. After an hour of scouting, she spots British Army elements arriving.

So far, the predictions that Yukari had told here were coming true. And that meant that the plans that Flandre had made were still good. Momiji was a little skeptical about the vampire's strategy but followed anyway because of Lord Tenma's asking.

Hearing a familiar sound, she looks up and spots Aya a far distance above, taking pictures of everything she could. The White Wolf couldn't help but feel a sense of distaste at the Black Crow tengu. She really hoped that they wouldn't be pair up together for the conflict, she was liable to knock her out if they were. Shaking her head, she returns her attention to the FOB in front of her.

She looks for a bit longer and then starts her trip back. Taking extra care to avoid the patrols, she finally makes it back into Gensokyo. Once she was past the Hakueri Shrine, she began to relax. The realization that she would be in actual combat was starting to dawn on her. But she was looking forward to it. As long as she had her sword and rifle, she was fine.

Spotting Youmu going the opposite direction, Momiji gives her a small nod of acknowledgement. She had always been on good terms with the gardener and was interested in training with her in the close quarters combat style that Flandre and Patchouli were advocating. It did sound just like the style that she had always used but would be boosted by one of the librarian's spells. All Momiji hoped was that she would make everyone she cared about proud and that they would be safe.

Courtroom, Ministry of Right and Wrong-Gensokyo Division, Gensokyo-5 Days Remaining

"You've changed a lot since the last time I sent Komachi after you."

Being nervous was becoming an almost daily occurrence for Tenshi. And she had plenty of good reason to be nervous, as she was standing in front of the two people that she had ran away from for so long.

The Yamaxanadu had taken her seat on the bench, looking down at Tenshi on the floor. Her blue eyes stared right into the Celestial's soul, almost as if she were putting together a legal brief. Her shinigami, Komachi, stood off to the side, stoically watching the scene before her.

Eiki reaches for a folder and waves it. "All of your history is right here. What would I find if I looked inside it? Would you be the sort of Celestial that would inspire their followers or would you be the sort that would care only for the rush of front line battle?"

Tenshi stayed silent, but did not break eye contact. Her grip tighten on her sword and served to steady her trembling.

"But if Yukari saw fit to give the chance to redeem yourself and you are actually trying to get your life together, then I will help you the best I can." Eiki stands up and steps off her bench. On level footing, she's even more intimidating. "What you have to concentrate first is developing the application of your leadership abilities. Yukari has told me what you have studied and that's a good start. So what I've come up with is the chance to speak with some of the best leaders of history so you can see and develop your own style."

Komachi opens the door as Eiki and Tenshi exit the courtroom. She follows the pair as they make their way to the amphitheater. But something had triggered the shinigami's danger sense. A pair of middle level clerical workers were passing them in the hallway when the hair on Komachi's neck stood on end. She was still trying to figure out where it was coming from when the workers spun around and drew firearms.

The shinigami rushes forward and sweeps her scythe over the pair, cutting both of them. They pair falls, revealing body armor and radios. Seeing what had happened, Eiki draws her Colt Peacemaker while Tenshi has her Walter P38 at the ready. Down the hallway, more gunmen appeared and aimed at the trio. The Yama ran into an open conference room to the left and began to return fire. The Celestial ran in behind her and flipped a table. She then pushed the table out so that a little bit pokes out and gives Eiki better cover. Komachi had moved into the room on the opposite side of the hallway and was reloading her Tokarev pistol.

Eiki hears a noise to her left and sees a gunman charge at her. Too close to bring her Peacemaker up, she unleashes a devastating uppercut that has her hearing a cracking noise in her attacker's jaw. She sees a tooth or two fly out before Tenshi riddles him full of bullet holes. Before the body can hit the floor, Eiki kicks it into the hallway, where it attracts a hail of gunfire. The Celestial hears something small and metal hit the way and sees a grenade land in front of her. Reacting instantly, she dashes forward and kicks it back. Her timing was good enough so that when it explodes, most of the shrapnel hits the gunmen, dropping four of them. But the blast wave also knocks the trio down. On her way to meeting the floor, Eiki loses her grip on her weapon and sees it fly towards Komachi. It lands in the middle of the hallway, too far for the shinigami to reach.

Seeing the Glock that was dropped by the closest gunman, she picks it up and sees that it had jammed. She pulls the slide to the rear and inspects the chamber quickly. The action clears the jam from the action just in time for another charging attacker. She puts two shots in him and slams the Rod of Remorse into the side of his head.

"Shit, I'm jammed!" Tenshi yells out as she backs up into the room and takes a knee. "It's a double load and it's in there tight!"

Almost on cue, the remaining gunmen charge forward. The three are pulling out SR-2s when Komachi yells out, "Lady Eiki, heads up!"

The Yama looks at her assistant and jumps forward when she sees her toss her Peacemaker at her. As soon as the revolver touches her hand, she spins the cylinder and puts two shots into each attacker. The gunmen had started to fire when they saw what she was doing but had ended up spraying bullets everywhere, forcing Tenshi and Komachi to dive to the floor. Reloading their weapons, and in Tenshi's case, fixing their jam, they slowly make their way towards the downed gunmen. Kicking the bodies to make sure they are dead, they search them for any intelligence but fail to find anything.

Komachi takes custody of the souls and takes them to a secured area of the building. Eiki then orders the entire building to be placed under lockdown while every room is cleared and until they figure out how the gunmen made it in. Tenshi is given the chance to go to the meeting and uses it to her full advantage. Yukari is informed and passes on the information to the rest of the faction heads. The assassination attempt proved without the shadow of a doubt that the outside world would be the first to strike.


	20. Chapter 20

Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo-5 Days Left

Patchouli and Koakuma were performing system checks on the missile defense grid while Flandre and Remilia were having a cup of tea and studying the magical map in front of them. Out in the garden, Meiling was practicing her daily Tai Chi routine but instead of using a straight traditional sword, she was using a Type 56 rifle. She had the bayonet extended and was becoming more and more comfortable with combining the firearm with her martial arts experience.

Remilia was still amazed by the change in her younger sister. The proud vampire would never tell anyone else but she was extremely grateful to Yukari and Eirin for helping Flandre out. Sakuya was sitting at a table off to the side, polishing her knives after cleaning her G36 and her service Karabiner 98K from the war. The fairy maids were performing their regular duties, such as bringing out tea and snacks.

A familiar gap opened up and Yukari walked out. Sakuya instantly had a tray of tea and snacks instantly ready for their guest. The gap youkai was a little jealous of how quick and efficient the maid was and wished her own servants were even half as good. Flandre had ran forward and caught Yukari in a quick embrace, which she returned with a pat on the head. Remilia gave her a nod of acknowledgement and took a sip of her tea.

"I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by," Yukari paused. "How are those scenarios that I told you about coming along?"

Flandre nodded, "I accounted for everything that I could think of. For the most part, if we can keep them at the boundary, then we have a good chance of stopping the entire invasion in its tracks. The boundary can reflect their artillery but not their infantry, cavalry or air units. We still have the Lunarians to count on but with the barrier up, they won't be able to send many troops. The most that they can send would have to be maybe a battalion or a brigade. I know that they're much more prepared for battle than we are but I doubt that even they can hold off entire armies."

"That's exactly what I expected from you, Flandre. It's a very thorough analysis, but I have to throw in another variable."

The entire room went quiet when they saw that Yukari had grown silent.

"The Great Barrier won't survive the first battle."

Everyone in the room was shocked at the announcement. Flandre began to go through the notes that she had taken when she had analyzed everything while Remilia kept staring at the map.

"Ran had told me that there have been fluctuations finally appearing in the barrier. When I took a look and ran some tests, it's obvious that it won't last for much longer. The time it would be most likely to break would be after the first wave of infantry and armor attacks. Without the barrier to reflect artillery, we're in for a bad time if we don't do something. That's where you'll have to come in."

"That changes everything," Flandre had to sit down. "We're going to have more casualties, more land lost, and more damage taken. Why is it doing this so fast?"

"I don't know but it's even more serious since I can't figure it out. And we'll have to go on the offense after the battle. This won't end until we've taken enough land for them to realize that we can't be pushed around."

"How much would we have to take for that to happen?" Remilia had finally looked up from the map. "Don't you remember the first Genso-Lunar war?"

"I knew from the start that it wasn't time for us to expand back then. But we don't have a choice in the matter now. Should we stand by, the outside will just continue to attack us again and again. We have to take the fight to them." Yukari sighed. "But I have another matter to discuss. I wanted to ask if I could have two guests of mine stay here for a little bit."

"Are you getting rid of your shikigami?" Remilia sat up.

"No, I'm going to keep them for a while longer. But I have the feeling that we'll be receiving two guests that share our feelings about this and will be willing to lend us some help. We do need all the hands that we can get."

Lunar Defense Crops Urban Training Base, Dark Side of the Moon-4 Days Left

Since she had passed the Line of Battle training, Reisen was ordered to practice mobile warfare. At the moment, she was in a platoon that was composed of her staff. They had been tasked with attacking a town that had been designated as a bomb making facility. To make the mission tougher, it was taking place in the middle of the night with only very limited starlight to see.

Reisen had arranged her platoon into two groups, one was going to go in and clear the buildings while the other would support by fire. As they walked toward the town, they were arranged in the modified wedge, two columns on either side of the road. Reisen was in the middle of the columns, with her squad leaders behind her. She carried her regular rifle, feeling a lot better with the longer weapon than an officer's pistol.

At the designated point, the two squads broke apart and began to head to their respective areas. Reisen was going with the support by fire team since it would give her the chance to keep her eye on the bigger picture and to adjust her forces accordingly. She had the signal operator stay close to her, keeping her in constant contact with the other squad. She checked the ammo in her rifle one last time and then waved her troops forward.

As she moved forward, it was quiet. The wind was blowing a little, making the leaves rustle in the night sky. Reisen's breathing was starting to speed up, partly because she didn't know what was going to happen when the shooting started. She kept looking around, aiming her weapon at every shadow that moved. What made it worse is that she had ordered the assaulting squad to maintain communication discipline until the attack actually started.

The sounds of gunfire suddenly rang out in the night. On the far left, between two buildings, the flashes of gunfire were moving in every direction. Since Reisen's squad was still on the road, they immediately ran to the left side of the berm and dropped to the prone. The moon rabbit crawled beside her machine gunner and began to direct fire. She could make out her troops running towards a building and stacking up against the wall.

Reisen's nervousness had left, replaced by the boost of adrenaline. She could see enemy troops begin to rush out of a building to the right, and directed fire in that direction. The gunfire forced them to fall back into the building and kept them from returning fire effectively. From inside the target building, there were flashes of light and the sounds of explosions.

"First team, stand by for mission update," The signal operator had received a message from the higher ups. Reisen began to look around, a mission update usually meant that something didn't go according to plan. She started to expect the worse and was looking for possible avenues of attack or escape. She heard her other team yell out clear and held fire when they rushed out.

"First team, a building to your east has been found to house opposing staff. Find and clear that building out."

She finally began to relax again. A search and clear mission wasn't as bad as having an entire company attack from behind. Getting her squad together, the moon rabbit moved toward the building. Once they were there, they stacked on the wall with her second in line. She motions the last one up and has her check the door. The door is cleared and kicked down.

They immediately rush into the first room, sweeping their weapons into every corner. Reisen kept her weapon on safe but had her finger ready to switch to burst in an instant. Once the first room was clear, the squad split up and Reisen led her team up the stairs. So far they had found nothing but were still staying sharp. Outside, the sounds of gunfire had gone silent, which meant that the action outside had ended.

Reisen takes a corner at high ready and comes face to face with an enemy staff member. She immediately switches from safe to burst and fires a three round burst directly into their chest. She kicks the body out of the way and rushes into the room. She instantly jumps back as a hail of gunfire was aimed at her. The rest of her team catches up and one of them preps a grenade. Reisen catches it and throws it into the room.

The grenade makes a loud ping as it bounces off the wall and she hears someone yelling. It goes off and the entire squad rushes into the room. They find that the explosion had taken out all of the staff in the room and had knocked a briefcase off a shelf. Reisen picks it up and looks at her pocket watch. From the door being breached to now, one minute and thirty seconds had passed.

Reisen has her team run down to the first floor, regroup and stack up inside. She yells out to make sure their own troops don't shoot them and rush out. Seeing the other squad some distance away pulling security, she has hers reach the road and then gives the signal to run back to their rally point.

Once they had dashed to the rally point and got accountability, they formed up into the modified wedge and walked back to their patrol base. Reisen had tied the briefcase to her pack after she had done a preliminary search. The stars had finally come back out and were providing more light. It seemed to be a dream after all the fighting earlier. Then something fell in front of her and started to spark and smoke.

"Aw, shit." That was all Reisen could do, tired as she was from all the running and shooting and she was suffering from an adrenaline crash. The grenade kept smoking and sparking then it just sat there, it turned out to be defective. Then gunfire came from their right side.

The moon rabbit dropped to a knee and began to return fire when a senior sergeant yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? GET OUT OF HERE! RUN!"

Not having to be told twice, she got up and ran for all she was worth. The rest of her squad followed suit and struggled to keep up with her. She could hear the zips as bullets missed her by inches. Looking back, she counted her entire squad still following her. Then she ran into a tree.

Her helmet took most of the blow but couldn't do anything for the embarrassment. Reisen shook it off and kept running. The run felt like it would never end but they finally reached their base. She gets accountability again and hands over the briefcase to the training officer. She decides to leave the paperwork until after she gets some food in her stomach.

She's already dropped into a seat and was eating some bland rations when a messenger brought a communicator to her. She gives a nod of acknowledgement and answers the call. It was Toyohime and she sounded worried.

"Reisen, I'm sorry to have to interrupt you during your training, but we need the 4th to go into stand by status. Master Eirin has just called us and said that the outside world has given them a deadline to stand down. Right now, there's only four days left. Your regiment will be the first on the ground to support the Gensokyo Defense Force until we can get the others ready. Be realistic, how ready can you be in three days?"

Numbers began to spin around in Reisen's head. Food, sleep, water, and ammo had to be considered. The regiment was 5,000 strong, and it would take a bit of time to get everything on the move. But they were Royal Foot after all.

"We can be at 100% readiness in three days, Princess."

"Good. You should be prepared for a high number of enemy troops, armor, and aircraft. The GDF says that they should be able to keep the air clear but will have some trouble handling armor and infantry due to their low numbers. I'll send you a full briefing later but you'll basically going in to provide infantry support. Humans have evolved some since we left but it's the numbers, not their ability or lack of, that we should be worried about."

"Yes, Princess."

"Reisen, make sure you do your best and come back. Yorihime and I miss having you around."

With that, the royal cut the call off, leaving Reisen with her plate. Not feeling hungry anymore, she calls for her staff to join her in the HQ. She can tell that the next three days will be long.

A/N: Their training mission was the same one that I had to do in basic. Right down to running into a tree.


	21. Chapter 21

Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo 4 Days Left

The entire mountainside was full of artillery. Celestials were walking around, comparing calculations for their weapons. Just the amount of artillery that Yukari had given them was staggering, but the amount of ammunition that came with them was even more amazing. Tenshi sat on a rock higher up on the mountain, watching everything and eating a peach. She had been unusually quiet ever since she had come back from the Ministry of Right and Wrong.

She pulled out the Walter P38 that Yukari had given her. It had actually killed a living person. This was different that the earthquake incident. Or at least that's what she was telling herself. Was the killing of spirits that were already dead the same as killing the living? She shook her head at the thought. That was a morality question, something that she had little time for nowadays.

But it still wouldn't leave her alone. Intellectually, she knew that many were going to die in a few days, and that she may be one of them. That was the nature of war and there was no way around it. She had known that when she accepted Yukari's offer. And it was still hitting her in the quiet moments, but had gotten worse since that attack.

"It's bothering you, isn't it, Eldest Daughter?"

Tenshi turns around to see Iku behind her. The messenger had a scroll that was probably from the Dragon Palace.

"The fact that you feel guilt over killing another living being is a sign that you're the right Celestial for the position. But you can't let that affect you during combat. Especially when you're responsible for others as well as yourself." Iku handed her the scroll. "The Dragon Palace has heard about your acceptance of leadership and sent you this. From what I heard in the dining rooms, there is some doubt about your abilities, even when Yukari Yakumo vouched for you."

Tenshi waved that off. "I don't care about the gossip in the Dragon Palace. I won't see them in the fight, seeing as how they're too busy sitting around in those comfortable offices."

"They do have a bit of influence with the Celestial family heads. Try not to anger them too much. This is a great chance that Yukari gave you but you can still throw it away if you're careless. Remember that court politics play an important role in this, even though you are technically military and noble blood."

"I thought that enlightened beings were above things like that? Is what I heard and studied about for so long a lie?"

"I won't go as far as to call it a lie. What I will say is that you haven't exactly come in as the best in the class. There are some that are still angry about the earthquake incident and your attitude. Most of us have seen the improvement that you have made since then, but others still want to get you back. Most of them hold some very high ears."

"If they're so angry, they should come and fight me face to face then. I'll show then who's right."

"There you go again, Eldest Daughter. That's the exact thing that you want to avoid. Disagreements can't always be solved with physical force. You're on your way to learning that lesson, but at this time, it won't be easy. Maybe that's why Yukari chose you for this. Learning diplomacy may help you more than any beating or loss could."

Tenshi had no response to that. Iku was always good at making her stop and look at herself. She still had no idea why Yukari had even wanted her to do this. And now Eiki was supporting here, even after Tenshi had beaten shikigami so many times out of greed. The Yama hadn't even reprimanded her after the attack for killing and using profanity.

It was starting to come together slowly, but Tenshi could tell that they wanted her to do something. But the question was what. And until she knew, there were only a few people that she can trust. And it began to dawn on her that all of this may be for the greater good. If it is, then is that what being a Celestial is really about? Was all the singing and dancing that everyone else had come to accept as their way of life just a distraction?

The Celestial was no stranger to philosophical arguments. That was what she had to study for the past few months in order to understand the Buddhist and Shinto religious texts that her father had given her. In her old mindset, she never would had worried about the balance between right and wrong, since she was a Celestial, she knew what was best from the start.

Then she went too far during the earthquake incident and finally got burned. But Iku snapped her out of the thoughts again.

"Don't let anything I said make you doubt yourself. I know your abilities are right for this, you just have to have the determination and knowledge to apply them. The Dragon Palace doesn't expect an answer from you about this, but be prepared for more messages. I'll do my best to keep you posted about the atmosphere in the Palace, but do remember to try not making them any more agitated at you." With a small nod, Iku turned and took to the sky again.

Watching her fly away, Tenshi still nibbled at the peach that she had forgotten during the conversation. One of the lower ranking members of her distant family came up to her and handed her a map. On it, it had the sectors of fire for every artillery piece on the mountain. They had a 360 degree sector of fire and had a range of all of Gensokyo plus 45 kilometers past the barrier, if the shells could pass it instead of being deflected.

She nods her appreciation and rolls it up to put in her apron. Then she hops off her rock and walks home, knowing that she still had more work left.

Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo-3 Days Left

Every tengu present was amazed by what the kappas had made. The entire workshop had been expanded to make room for the air fleet that would serve to keep Gensokyo's sky clear during the upcoming battle. Three types of aircraft were sitting in the hanger: the Russian SU-47 Golden Eagle, the American FA-18 Hornet, and the American AH-64 Apache. The only human in the bunch, Marisa, had her eye on the Apache due to the missile and heavy machine gun mounted under the cockpit.

Nitori was walking around one of the SU-47s. "This is one of the most advanced planes on the planet. There are only about three of these outside the barrier while we have at least 5 full squadrons. It's a work of art and my favorite to work on. Just look at the wings, aren't they cool?"

Nitori was about to continue when one of the other kappas shouted out from the back. Pulling herself out of her admiration, she walked over to one of the FA-18s. "This one is not as advanced but is still a solid choice for our air forces. Right now, it's one of the most common aircraft flying around outside. Its main advantage is that it's just as good at ground attacks as it is at air superiority."

Then she walked over to an AH-64. "This is the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. This one is one of the most heavily armored yet most maneuverable helicopters ever used. It also has the ability to fire in almost any direction with having the move the entire helicopter. Perfect for someone that wants to have a massive amount of firepower right on the frontlines."

Marisa started to jump up and down. "Pick me! Pick me! All of you know how good I'm at blowing stuff up!"

No one in the room could disagree with that statement. The last time that Marisa had gotten in a spellcard duel, she had blown up half the Bamboo Forest. Some of the kappa had been in attendance and still had burn marks on their hats from the Master Spark explosion.

Nitori rummaged in her backpack of a few seconds and pulled out a set of keys. She tossed them at Marisa, "We knew that you would want it. So it's yours. Make sure you read the condensed manual and get some practice flying around before the bullets start to fly. And you'll have to come up with a name for your helicopter and a call sign for the radio. Make sure you have them as soon as you can."

Leaving Marisa to play with the controls under the watchful eyes of her new crew chief, Nitori led the tengus back over to the Su-47s. "I've spoken with Lord Tenma and he has given me a list of tengus that he would want as squadron leaders. First up, Aya Shameimaru will head the first Su-47 squadron and Hatate Himekaidou will head the second."

Both tengu step forward and begin to look around in their aircraft. Nitori kept reading off names that would make up their respective squadrons and moved on to the FA-18s. Yukari had stopped by and was watching the proceedings from inside the chief mechanic's office. When the kappa was done and had returned to the office, she wasn't surprised.

"I know that we're getting closer to the deadline but we have made a lot of progress."

Yukari nodded, "We're ahead of the schedule that Flandre worked out for us. How has that map that Patchouli installed been?"

"It's been a big help with organizing a lot of the squadrons. And it's an added bonus that we can keep in touch with everyone else too."

"I've received confirmation that both the Scarlet Devil Mansion and the Celestials have their artillery ready. The Lunarians have already started to mobilize but have to wait until the barrier falls for them to actually arrive."

"Have there been any developments in the outside world lately?"

"NATO has still been reinforcing the line more and more. From what some of the tengus found, they have already set up forward operating bases and artillery positions. But, a majority of the troops have heard about the legends and have seen some of us flying around. So naturally, they are sacred to a point. Most of their officers have dismissed it as just rumors but the ones that have seen us are trying to research the old texts to find our weaknesses."

"I hope they don't try to make me bow. I really don't want to have to go through another incident like the one at the village again."

"You mean the one where your hat fell off and fly away?"

"This is my favorite hat! I can't let anything happen to it, even if it's just sitting on my head."

"I'll have to make sure to keep Chen away from water and for Ran to have a full meal before she goes out. I don't want her to become distracted by one of those soldiers offering her some tofu."

"So have you chosen what weapon you want us to modify for you?"

"I decided to do it myself and keep it a surprise. It's going to be a masterpiece, I can assure you that."

"Fine. I think you made a good call with giving Marisa one of the Apaches. It'll take some time and effort but her spellcards are a perfect match. She's going to do a lot of damage when we get her out on the frontlines."

"She needs something to keep her mind off the stress that this is causing. Rinnosuke texted me earlier to tell me that she was having doubts about surviving this."

"That doesn't sound like her. The Marisa I know wouldn't be thinking about anything like that. She would be treating this like a game or another spellcard duel."

"It means that she's matured way too fast since all of this happened. I noticed it in others as well. The last thing we want is for her to be burned out so early. That'll affect Reimu too."

"Are you really only concerned with Reimu?"

"Of course not! I care about everyone in Gensokyo. Why else would I do so much without asking for anything?"

"I'll probably never know the real answer to that question. What I do know is that you always have a reason for everything you do and we never figure it out until everything's done."

"You make me sound like a chess master, Nitori."

"If the shoe fits, Yukari. Isn't that exactly what we need the most now?"


	22. Chapter 22

Outside the Great Hakueri Barrier, Japan-3 Days Left

The perimeter around the Hakueri Barrier was tight enough to keep anyone from entering or leaving the area. Or at least it was before Russian forces had arrived. Almost at every control point, arguments in Russian and English could be heard. But only from the officers and senior NCOs. The rest of the enlisted from either side were content with sitting together, sharing cigarettes and trading candy from their MREs.

Maribel and Renko were hiding in a bush a few dozen feet away from two captains that were locked in a heated argument. Something about jurisdiction had brushed the Russian one the wrong way and led to him yelling.

"Listen, American, I don't care what your orders are! This is our command post and WE will man it without YOUR interference!"

"I will not have you come here and yell orders at my men like that! They are my responsibility, so take it up with ME! COME AT ME, BRO!"

Both the Captains lunge at each other but are restrained by their NCOs. Renko can't help but stifle a laugh as both officers start to kick at each other, still yelling at each other.

"I WILL BEAT YOUR ASS, DAMNED RUSKIE!"

"COME OVER HERE AND I'LL SHOVE YOUR CAPTIALISM DOWN YOUR DAMNED THROAT, AMERICAN!"

The rest of the soldiers just kept going around with their usual business, not really paying attention to their commanding officers about to kill each other. It really did seem that they were not surprised to see it going down like this.

Renko was wanting to stay and finish watching the rest of the spectacle but knew that she and Maribel were on a timeline. For the past day and a half, the pair had been scouting around for a weak point in the perimeter. So far, they had had little luck. But with the arrival of the Russians, some checkpoints were being distracted by all the hostility.

Deciding that they had done enough for the day, Maribel and Renko head back to the old inn that they had stumbled across. After they had walked for about two hours, they arrived. The inn didn't get that many visitors since the legends of youkai and paranormal activities usually kept people away. The innkeeper was happy to have company and had asked no questions when they requested a room.

Once they had made a quick meal and were sitting in their room, they began to sort through the headlines of the day. Every newspaper that they had gotten their hands on was reporting on the massive troop movements from all over the world. And even though they had were both moving against Gensokyo, the United States and Russia were having another of their usual arguments.

The United Nations was trying to prevent the hostilities but with the entire Security Council still riled up about Yukari's visit, it was meeting stiff resistance. NATO had already announced that they were already prepared for the outbreak of hostilities and would put boots on the ground with ease. In the United States, every division was placed on standby status, National Guard units were being ordered to federal active duty, and operations all over the world were put on hold. The entire manufacturing sector began to switch to wartime production.

After they had finished eating and reading, Renko brought out the map that they always carried. She had circled the Hakueri shrine and marked the FOBs that they had found. But the map wasn't what had her attention right now. Ever since yesterday, Renko had noticed that Maribel had been becoming paler. She was also starting to feel a slight pain in the head. Even though the psychologist hadn't said anything, it was obvious to her best friend.

"Something big is about to happen to the barrier, isn't it? I can see it in your face, Mary." Renko studied her closely. "You've been getting pale and it looks like your head's been hurting."

"I keep on seeing cracks in the sky towards the shrine. They look like they're starting to spread every time I look at them. It's been making my head hurt a little but I'm alright." Mary reached into her bag and took two aspirins. "We're starting to run out of time."

"There's only so much we can do until we can pass that perimeter. But I have found a spot where we should be able to sneak in. Check this out." Renko points at a heavily wooded area a bit from the path. "The forest here is extremely thick for about half a mile. As long as we stay together, we should be able to sneak past their patrols and bases. After that, it turns back into normal woods. Our best bet would be to try to figure out their patrol patterns and then we can go from there."

"How long will it take? The deadline for Gensokyo's surrender is in less than three days."

"At least two days. I would feel better if we had more but you're right. We also have to make sure that we don't get caught. I doubt we can do anything useful if we stuck in a holding cell somewhere. The perimeter is about 4 miles from the shrine, so we'll want to aim for the early morning to avoid the hottest part of the day."

"I'm so happy to have you with me."

Renko couldn't help but blush. "It's nothing. I'm just using what I learned in those military history and tactics classes."

"Still, I wouldn't had made all the way out here without you."

"You're starting to talk crazy again. Next thing you'll say is that you'll want to go to the moon and talk to the Lunarians next."

"I'm sure that the Lunarians can take care of themselves. But I'm surprised that everybody didn't start freaking out when they showed up at the UN."

"People probably thought that they were from some country that nobody ever heard of. They do tend not to pay attention if it doesn't affect them."

"I know, but it's still sad. Too bad they won't care until people start to get killed in this war."

Renko stretched her back out and pulled out the camera that she took with them. "It's a good thing I remembered to bring this. But I have no idea why I did in the first place."

Maribel couldn't help but laugh. "You're always forgetting things. But I'm sure having it won't hurt. It's not heavy after all."

The inn began to shake a little as a company of tanks passed on the road nearby. It didn't really bother them since it happened all the time now. Renko brought up the map again and Maribel moved to seat next to her. They studied the map, looking for more weak points until they both fell asleep leaning on each other.

Human Village, Gensokyo-2 Days Left

The entire village was deserted. On a day like this, the market would be full of shoppers and vendors. But almost everyone in the village had evacuated to the Moryia Shrine. Only a few of the men had remained and formed a militia that fell under Keine and Mokou. They were armed with M-1 Garands and M9 pistols. Keine had allowed her schoolhouse to be used as armory and readiness center.

Outside the village, Mokou was practicing some of her spellcards and close range attacks. She had recently been thinking about a new spellcard that she could activate with just a finger snap. With Yukari's gift of a H&K 416, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Mokou stands in the middle of a clearing and holds her hand out. She snaps her fingers and sends a long spark flying from them. It heads directly for a tree and explodes on impact. The explosion rips the trunk apart and catches every tree in a 40 meter radius.

She's satisfied with her work and decides to watch the kappas as they arrive to build defenses for the village. Mokou is amazed by how fast they work. In less than 2 hours, they had dug tunnels, trenches, and placed traps all over the place. In the town plaza, Keine was overseeing her militia's training.

The schoolteacher stood in the watch tower and was counting how long it took a squad to clear a building. On the other side of the plaza, the other squads were getting their ammo and water sources ready. Coming in at just under a company in terms of strength, they would be boosted by the fact that they would be fighting for their homes. But even then, they wouldn't be able to hold off entire divisions by themselves.

Keine was well aware of that fact. And it was made even worse when she remembered that she had taught every single one of them when they were children. She also remembered how Flandre was forced to revise her predictions when Yukari had revealed that the barrier would fall during the battle. The icy feeling in her gut told her that her company would be the one to take most of the casualties.

Looking out at the horizon towards the shrine, she can see most of the easy avenues of attack. From what she knows about history, she can make a good guess of which ones they would charge them from. Infantry wouldn't pose a horrible problem, but still needed a good amount of attention. If armor and artillery were able to target the village, it was all over.

At least Akyuu and Kosuzu had been able to move all the books to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to be watched over by Patchouli. Volie was one of the biggest libraries in all of Gensokyo and would be defended by heavy field and air defense artillery. As long as the history and knowledge of Gensokyo were safe, then they could survive even a devastating defeat.

Mokou had finally returned from watching the kappas and had climbed into the tower with Keine. They stood silently together for a few minutes, then Keine had to ask her the one question that was bothering her.

"What are you going to do if you get captured?"

"I'm not worried about that," Mokou put her hands in her pocket. "I'm going to be watching your back during the battle, so I won't let anything like that even have a chance of happening. After all, I can take a few bullets with no problem."

"You know that I can't stand for you getting hurt. Even if you can't die, I don't want to see you in pain."

"Every time I fight with Kaguya, I kill and get killed. This type of fighting shouldn't be worse than that. That moon princess sure can come up with some creative ways to kill someone."

"But doesn't it hurt every time it happens?"

Mokou had to pause. She couldn't dodge the schoolteacher's question forever. "It hurts a lot. Every time I die, not all of me comes back. I try so hard to bring it all with me, but it never happens. I always feel empty for some reason. But one thought always goes through my head: I don't want to go."

"I didn't know." Keine turns and hugs her. "Just promise me one thing: that you'll never forget about me."

"I promise."

Down on the ground, the squad that was clearing out buildings were done and sitting in the shade. Rinnosuke had come out and was issuing extra equipment to the militia members. After that, their training was done for the day and they went to eat.

Rinnosuke had become interested in one of the towers that the kappas had installed in the village and was asking them about having one installed near his shop. The kappas were eager to build another one and promised that they would have one up by the end of tomorrow. He did request that it be camouflaged and be ready to use as a sniper's nest.

His thoughts eventually returned to Marisa's predicament. He did do his best to motivate her to have something to fight for but was still worried about her. He decides to pay a visit to her father since he was in the village anyway. It takes him a moment to remember where his shop was at but eventually found it. Taking a deep breath, he walks in.

The shop is deserted, just like the rest of the village. Rinnosuke still remembers when he used to work here. Walking to the back, he finds it just like outside. He walks upstairs and still finds nothing. He sees a door that had a star on it and realizes that it was Marisa's room. Poking his head in, he's surprised by what he finds.

The entire room is full with books. But they're arranged in neat piles and have no dust on them at all. The bed is still neatly made. But a box with a crest was sitting open on the desk. On closer inspect, it was big enough to hold a spell book. It didn't take Yukari level intelligence to see that.

Seeing nothing else, he decides to leave. He won't be able to talk to him since going to the Moriya Shrine will take more time than he can spare. It takes a while to get back, but when he does, he pulls out his rifle. He cleans it again and enjoys a cup of tea. Looking at the clock, he starts to feel an icy feeling in his stomach.


	23. Chapter 23

Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo-2 Days Left

Remiu had been sitting in front of the small pond behind her shrine all day. She hadn't even checked her donation box at all today. Her M4 carbine was lying next to her, along with a M9 pistol. The miko had been carrying both weapons ever since Yukari had warned her about the attack at the Ministry of Right and Wrong. She hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep since she was worried about being attacked.

Yukari had been keeping an eye on her for a while and was becoming more and more worried about the miko. She had noticed that Reimu was becoming more and more short tempered. The gap youkai knew that having her in this state would lead to her being more careless when it mattered most. She had an idea but, for one of the few times in her life, she felt nervous.

Stepping out of her gap, she takes a few steps towards Reimu. The miko turns and spots Yukari. But instead of throwing needles at her like she usually, the dark haired woman turned back to stare at the pond. That hit Yukari harder than any attack. She takes something out of a gap and sits next to Reimu. They sit in silence for a while, Yukari wasn't even bothered by the fact that her dress was getting dirty. Wordlessly, she hands the miko what she brought.

Remiu looks at it and doesn't move for minutes. Then she starts to tear up. Yukari warps an arm around her shoulder and brings her in close.

"You don't have to worry about having to protect everything by yourself. You see everybody around you getting ready to fight. I know that you want to do it all to make sure that they don't get hurt. But they want to protect you too. Remember how much effort they gave to make this happen?" Yukari pointed at the picture she had given her.

It was from the Summer Festival that had just ended a few weeks ago. Everyone in Gensokyo had made the trip to attend and made it the biggest in recent history. Even the new arrivals, the Taoists, had taken part in the fun. The kappas had brought plenty of outside technology, so music was played out of speakers, drinks were kept cool in refrigerators, and video cameras were broadcasting footage to screens set up everywhere.

One more piece of technology that the kappas had brought was a digital camera. So some of the more eccentric guests had gone around and taken random pictures. Then the idea for a group photo began to take shape. As more and more youkai and humans were forming up on the stairs to the shrine, Marisa noticed that Remiu had disappeared.

She was found sitting alone in her shrine. For some reason, she had become depressed and had withdrawn herself. Thinking about her best friend's behavior for the past couple of days, Marisa began to figure out that this wasn't the first time this had happened.

That was when Yukari had gapped in. She sees Reimu's condition and drags Marisa out of the room. Closing the door to prevent Reimu from hearing her, Yukari looks Marisa in the eye.

"You knew that this was going to happen eventually."

The magician doesn't have an answer. She just stares at the floor.

"The way that Reimu distances herself from everyone isn't healthy for her. She might be the one that solves all the incidents, but she's still human. Look at Flandre, she's still trying to get better after being locked in that basement for so long."

Still no response from Marisa.

"You been through the same thing, don't you remember? Reimu reached out to you then, didn't she. And look at what that lead to. Both of you are close to each other. You have the best chance of helping her get through this."

"I have to get her to the stairs."

Yukari was confused for a moment before she remembered the group picture. Having so many people remind her that she was not alone would work wonders. So she created a gap under Reimu that lead outside.

The miko was too surprised to do anything when she felt herself falling. The only thing she thought about when she saw the gap was that Yukari had something to do with it. Then her mind went blank when she landed in front of the stairs in front of a large group of people. Everyone froze when they saw that her eyes were red and puffy. Then as one, they moved forward and drew her into a group embrace.

It didn't matter if they were human or youkai. The playful Yuyuko was patting her head, while even the haughty Remilia was embracing her. Reimu was still completely mind blown by the turn of events and hadn't moved. Yukari and Marisa appeared next to the crowd and watched.

Once Remiu had begun to understand, she began to cry again. But they weren't tears of sadness. Instead, they were full of joy as she returned the giant embrace. This continued for a while until the sun began to set. The kappas finally managed to get everyone formed up and ready for the picture. In the front, both Yukari and Marisa had their arms around a smiling Reimu.

Reimu starts to smile at remembering that, but its cut short when she sees the M4 and M9 sitting next to her, reminding her of the current situation. Yukari squeezes her gently, "It's still fresh in your mind. You replay that every day, don't you? What's coming isn't something that you can take on all by yourself. It's not like when you fought that shrimp Mima, or when the moon was stolen. You're too proud to ask for help. I can tell that easily. That's the same reason that you survive on barely any donations. But you have to know that we'll all here for you."

Yukari reaches into her pocket and pulls out a spell card. She hands it to the miko. "Keep this with you at all times. It's my strongest spellcard, 'Boundary of Life and Death'. You're going to be on the frontlines, so it'll have a better chance of being put to good use."

"But what about the advanced teams that are going to hit before the main attack?"

"I got a surprise for them. Don't worry about me, I'm not going to stop stealing your food anytime soon. But you have to promise me that you're not going anywhere soon."

"I promise, Yukari." They both share an embrace under the moonlight that's reflected from the pond. Neither of them notice the shrimp looking shadow watching them from the tree line.

Kappa Communication Relay Post, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo-1 Day Left

For the kappas, setting up a system that creates a path for communication wasn't a big deal. With Patchouli's map spell and their own magic, it was up and running within two hours. Now, they had a stable network that worked with both GDF and outside world communication systems. And they had mail.

A message had come in from the NATO forces that were stationed outside the barrier. The United Nations had given Gensokyo one last chance to avoid invasion by turning over the heads of the GDF. Specially, they were demanding that Yukari, Eiki, and Eirin be captured and sent to the World Court.

The three were listening to the message being replayed. Yukari was going over the status of every faction in the GDF. Most of them were ready, but the Tengu air units were still being worked on. That meant that the Scarlet Devil Mansion would have to handle the entire NATO air force by themselves. The most important parts: the redoubt, the shrine, and the Celestial artillery were prepared.

Another message began to beep for attention. Nitori looked at the monitor and tilted her head. "We got an incoming request for a conference call. Looks like it's from one of the higher ups of the outside."

Yukari nods her head and turns to the screen. Seconds later, the image of a lieutenant general appeared on screen. Eiki and Eirin return his stare silently while the gap youkai pulls her fan out. "Good morning, General. Lovely weather we're having today, isn't it?"

He shrugs. "Seems nice enough. Do I have the pleasure of speaking to Lady Yukari Yakumo?"

She hides her face behind her fan. "Why yes you do. May I ask who wants to know?"

"Just someone that wants for all this to be over without bloodshed. I know that you have received our latest message. What is your response?"

"In just one word: no."

The general sighed. "I knew that this was going to happen. Damned politicians never want to listen to us anyway. We know all about your preparations. Let me just remind you that this little backwards summer camp is going up against the combined might of the modern world. I'll give you a few seconds to let that sink in."

Yukari still held the fan in front of her face. But her eyes were revealing a sense of amusement. Eiki and Eirin stayed quiet, knowing that she was about to ruin this arrogant man's day.

"Well, what's you answer? It's alright to be scared." He started to laugh. "We'll be done with you by the end of the day."

From behind the general, a gap opened. Then a kangaroo hopped out. The officer closest to the gap, a major, could only stare as the mammal reared back and punched him in the face. He was out instantly, letting his attacker hop around and knock out the guards with vicious kicks to the stomach. A captain had snuck up behind the kangaroo with a chair but got slapped with his tail. Another captain had begun to crawl to the door and made it halfway out when the mammal spotted him and dragged him back by the leg.

The noise had attracted a squad of MPs who froze when they saw that a kangaroo was beating up their entire command staff. A seasoned looking NCO rushes forward and delivers a quick hook to the animal's face. Surprised, the kangaroo begins to hop back and gets his bearings. It almost seemed like he was smiling, happy to have a worthy opponent.

They rush at each other, turning the fight into an all-out brawl. Even more chairs and tables are destroyed as both opponents fling each other around the room. The general manages to get up, a black eye already apparent.

"What kind of game are you playing at, Yakumo?" he can barely speak due to his anger. "I was willing to accept terms of surrender, but no more!"

"Didn't you just say that you knew we weren't going to surrender? Did that punch give you memory loss, general?"

Before he can say anything, another gap opens above his head, and a skunk falls on him. The little mammal is surprised and instantly releases his foul spray. And it happened when the general's mouth was open.

Yukari nods her head and Nitori cuts the transmission. As soon as it's off, the entire room burst into laughter. The gap youkai cracked a smile then remembered her two accomplices. She opens another gap and disappears for a few seconds. When she returns, she's laughing.

"I always did like some animals more than humans. Those two did a good job, didn't they?"

"So, we're locked in now." Eirin looked at her cell phone. "The Lunarians have a regiment of Royal Foot ready to touch down. They're one of the best in the Defense Crops, so we're set there."

Nodding, Yukari turns to Eiki. "Have you found anything that says we've strayed from the path of self-defense?"

The yama shakes her head. "In the eyes of the international laws of diplomacy and combat, we're well within our rights. But that doesn't seem to matter to anyone but us. We have to be prepared for the opinion of the rest of the planet to be poisoned against us."

"That won't have much effect on us. We just wanted to be left alone." Yukari sighs. "I wonder, how does Makai feel about this?"

"I'm sure that we can get Alice to ask Shinki." Nitori began to dial on the phone next to her.

"Hello, this is Alice."

"Alice, its Nitori. Yukari has a question that she wants to ask you."

The gap youkai leans forward. "Alice, can you get in touch with Shinki? Makai might be in danger if we can't hold the line out here."

"I've already talked to her about this. She doesn't want to commit forces to the fight yet. They haven't had the chance to arm themselves like we have. And they're still recovering from the last major fight that happen when Reimu visited. But, she's promised to leave a portal open in case of us having nowhere else where to go."

"That's still a good sign. It means that we still have a chance of getting more help later on. Thank you, Alice."

With a quick acknowledgment, the puppeteer hangs up.

"It's starting to be close to show time. Nitori, is everyone ready?"

"Apart from the two, we're good."

"Great. Will you give the call to arms?"

"Of course."

Nitori turned on the microphone that was connected to every map across Gensokyo.

"Now hear this: all units are to go on standby status. Invasion is to commence in 18 hours from the Hakueri Shrine. The spellcard rules are now void. Lethal force is now authorized on orders of the Hakueri Shrine Maiden. I say again: all units are to go on standby status and lethal force is authorized."


	24. Chapter 24

Eientei, Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo-10 Hours Left

For the first time in hundreds of years, Eirin was giving instruction in battlefield medicine fully aware that it was going to be put to use. Gathered before her was the group that maintained the Buddhist temple. They would be the ones providing medical care since Byakuren was still against causing bloodshed. And the magician was giving her all to studying to make up for that fact.

"This small kit," Eirin held up a bag that looked more like a purse than a first aid kit, "has everything you'll need to treat any kind of wound that the humans can inflict. The usual types of injuries can be taken care with this."

She puts the bottle of pills away. Then she pulls out a roll of bandages.

"If you happen to run out of pills, this bandage has the ability to stop any kind of bleeding. Even if it's caused by magic or normal means. Then we have this."

The next item she pulls out is a syringe. "Even though the outside world has mostly banned the use of chemical weapons, there is still the possibility of them being used against us. This injection is something I made when I was still a young medical officer in the Lunar Defense Corps. Reisen, Kaguya and I are immune to every chemical, biological, and nuclear effect the outside world can throw at us due to the vaccines and medicines that we had on the moon. My goal is to do the same with everyone but I still need more time."

She put everything back into the bag and starts handing them out. Everyone has at least two bags and takes note of everything inside. Then the doctor leads everyone outside to the field to practice care under fire. Reisen and Tewi were doing last minute checks on their weapons while Kaguya was looking towards the sky.

Eirin has Reisen load weaken rounds and Tewi moves a few hundred yards away and lays down. Once everything is ready, the doctor gives the command and the Buddhist caretakers rush towards the earth rabbit. Reisen starts to pour rounds downrange, forcing the medics to find cover and low crawl. When they get too close to their patient, Reisen shoots the ground in front of them. This continues for about an hour. Eirin is satisfied with their progress.

"Alright, that's enough. We can't have all of you be too tired for the action later on. Get some rest, you'll be doing the real thing in a few hours."

With that, they gather their belongings and head back to their temple. Eirin watches them go, hoping that they would be able to do their job skillfully. On her way back to her study, she sees Reisen and Tewi eating a small meal. The Lunarian felt a ping of fear in her heart. It wasn't for her but for her apprentice and the smaller rabbit. Even though she was tough on them, she still cared about them. She still remembered every soldier that she had lost during her time in the Medical Service. The ones that she couldn't reach in time, the ones that were helpless as soon as they were hit, and the ones that would had been saved if the right medicine had been discovered in time.

She sits down and looks at the medals hanging on the wall. So many were there, but she still remembered how she earned each and every one. The crest of the Medical Service stared back at her, reminding her of her duty and creed. Her old uniform made her remember all of the different units that she was assigned to and how she became a valued part. Then she remembered teaching Yorihime and Toyohime when they were young children.

If the war goes wrong, then there's a real chance that both princesses would have to step in and lead their own regiments into battle. And since they were well trained in the Lunarian tradition, it would meant that they would be on the frontlines. And that scared Eirin as well.

Eirin had never had children of her own, but the two princesses filled that gap for her. Even though she was their distant grand aunt, she had treated them like her own children. The countless nights that she had spent reading telling them stories when they were afraid of the dark, helping them take their first steps, and teaching them their first spells and chemical reactions would be something that Eirin would always cherish. And now seeing how well they performed their duties as the leaders of the LDF and as the royal family filled her a vast amount of pride. It was enough to bring a small tear to her eye.

Wiping away the tear, she turns to her old uniform. A few minutes later, she's standing in front of her mirror, admiring how it looked on her. Then she put her old pistol belt and quiver on. Finally, her command saber completed the outfit. Eirin hadn't put all of this on in more than 700 years. It all felt so familiar to her. She pulls out the only service pistol that she ever used, the Mauser lookalike. She checks the magazine and puts it on safe. Then she remembers the offer that the Lunarian princesses had made her a few days ago.

The doctor pauses, surprised that she's even considering it. At the current time, she was still exiled from the moon. But the Watatsuki sisters had offered her the one thing that she had missed: her old commission in the Corps. And they had extended the offer to Kaguya and Reisen. At first glance, it seemed like a perfect idea.

But she had gotten used to life on the Earth. No more court politics, no more assassination attempts, no more having to solve everyone's problems. And she had begun to cultivate a pleasant relationship with the residents of the human village. They were grateful for her skills and willingness to cure their medical problems and had taken steps to show that gratitude. That was something that Eirin had begun to be happy about.

She snaps herself out of her daze and looks at the clock. Four hours had passes since that general had been attacked by the kangaroo and the skunk. That meant that six hours remained. Eirin walks towards the courtyard in front of the mansion. She plans to do one last inspection before it's time.

Outside the Hakueri Barrier, Japan-6 Hours Left

It was early in the morning when Maribel and Renko left the small inn. They had made sure to bring everything they needed and did their best to convince the innkeeper to find cover soon. She looked confused but agreed to after the pair started to beg. They then headed towards the shrine, being careful to avoid the early morning patrols that the NATO forces were sending out. It was still somewhat dark, so evading them was a little easier.

They walked for about an hour and decided to have breakfast before trying to cross through the thicker parts of the forest. As they sat and ate, they could see and hear the patrols returning to their FOBs. Based on the time, they were going to get ready for the invasion. That meant that the pair's window of opportunity just got wider. Once they were done, they snuck into the deeper part of the forest.

It was slow going since they hadn't really packed the best clothes for a hike through the forest. Maribel's dress kept being snagged by the many low branches and Renko's skirt was dragging in the dirt. The mosquitoes were also starting to take a liking to them. Overhead, the sounds of multiple aircraft could be heard.

The sun began to rise, but they could barely tell due to the thick overhead brush. Maribel kept a tight grip on Renko's hand, determined not to get lost. Her head is still hurting a little but she shuts it out to concentrate on making it out of the forest. Every time she looks up, she keeps seeing the cracks in the sky that get wider and wider. It was enough to make her shudder.

Renko could tell that something was affecting Maribel. She gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and kept moving forward at a slower pace. Every so often, she would stop to pull out her map and compass since she can't get a look at the moon or stars anymore. Since they had entered the forest, they hadn't come across any patrols at all, so Renko's idea was succeeding.

The pair both kept track of time, knowing that they would have to find shelter before the invasion commenced. But they had no idea of how to do that. Renko was trying to figure it out herself so Maribel would have one less thing to worry about. Their watches read 10:00, so they decided to take a quick rest. They had been hiking for four hours and were almost out of the forest, at least according to the map. But there was still trees as far as the eye could see, even if it wasn't very far.

"Two hours left…" Renko trailed off.

All Maribel could do was nod her head and keep looking at what little sky peeked through the treetops. It was a blue sky, so it meant that the sun was probably beating down on everything not under the shade. The trees kept the inside of the forest cool, but they both knew that they would have to make sure to keep hydrated. Their water sources were about three quarters full, so they were good for a while.

But one thing still bothered the pair: the fact that it was too quiet in the woods. Ever since they had left the inn, they hadn't heard any birds or any other animals at all. That emptiness had sent chills down the pair's back once they had noticed it. It did make some sense, seeing how the boundary was so close and was designed to keep outsiders away.

Once they had reached the edge of the deepest part of the forest, Maribel checked the time again. One hour was left until the deadline.


	25. Chapter 25

Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo-1 Hour Left

Remiu was just finishing up a last minute check before she went to her spot. She carried her M4 carbine and M9 pistol with her. In her pockets, all of her spellcards were ready to be activated with a moment's notice. She even had Yukari's ready just in case. Floating just a few feet off the ground to prevent from being seen, she moves out. Finding her spot, she drops to the prone and crawls behind a bush. She drops one of her rifle magazines by accident and taps it on her rifle to get the dirt out. The she pulls the charging handle back, slides the magazine in, and release the bolt. Checking to make sure it's on safe, she takes a deep breath.

Marisa had already gotten in her spot a few meters to Reimu's left. The pair would be the first line of defense due to their records when it came to fighting. The witch had her Mosin Nagant and both Ruger Blackhawks at the ready. Under her shirt, she could feel the medallion on its chain. Patting her apron pocket, she makes sure that her Mini-Hakkero is still there. The witch rotates the bolt back and puts four rounds into the internal magazine. She hesitates before putting in the fifth round. The realization that she was going to kill another living being hit her, but she pushed it away by remembering that she was defending her home. Once that was done, she puts the final round in the chamber and rotates the bolt forward. She moves back a little to make sure that her bayonet isn't poking out from the bush.

About 300 meters to their left, Momiji and a few other white wolf tengus were at the ready. They were eager to start the battle. She had her regular sword and shield with her but had her H&K MSG90 locked and loaded. The rest of the white wolf tengus had decided to say with M1 Garands and M1911 pistols. She still wore the little red hat that was the tengu traditional ware, even though she should have probably worn a helmet. In her ear, she had an earphone that was connected to the kappa's main communication network. At the moment, Nitori was speaking with someone off channel.

Kappa Communication Relay Post, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo-1 Hour Left

The kappa's relay system had allowed all of the faction heads to stay at their respective locations and send a projection to the relay post. Every important person in Gensokyo was gathered around the magical map in this fashion. Nitori then began to request a status check from all of them.

"All factions, report in," Nitori was double checking her panel of green lights.

"Scarlet Devil Mansion air defense artillery, standing by." Remilia was holding an officer's saber. She also had a service cap on.

"Hakugyokurou redoubt, ready." Yuyuko was closing her fan. The playfulness had disappeared from her normally bright eyes.

"Human Village, ready." Keine held a book, _The Art of War_. She seemed to struggle to get the words out and had to hold Mokou's hand.

"Eientei, standing by." Eirin was wearing her old uniform. The doctor had the look of someone that had seen what war was really about.

"Moriya Temple, ready." Kanako and Suwako both looked wary. They both held their traditional weapons but had pistols holstered.

"Celestial field artillery, ready for combat." Tenshi looked eager holding her sword. Her hair waved in the wind, along with her dress.

"Underground, ready." Satori was clenching and releasing a fist. She had to breathe slowly to calm herself down.

"Buddhist medical personnel, ready." Byakuren held her scroll and medical bag. The monk had a sincere look on her face, ready to aid the wounded.

"Taoist warriors, ready for combat." Miko had her fanciest battle rattle on. She seemed eager to relive the rush of combat, just like her earlier days.

"General Staff, standing by." Yukari held the katana from the other day. She wore her combat dress, the white one with ruffles and the purple cover.

"Higan judicial staff, on alert." Eiki looked extremely depressed. She was also carrying a thick book and papers.

"Lunarian 4th Regiment of Royal Foot, standing by for insertion." Toyohime calmly chimed in. The Lunarian was having to hold a numerous assortment of paperwork.

"Tengu air forces still need more time," Nitori checked over her panel of lights. "This is it, everybody. I think Yukari has some things she wants to say."

"In less than an hour, we're going to be holding back the largest attack this planet has ever seen. Every eye on the planet will be on Gensokyo for this entire battle. We're going to war against the most advanced nations that have existed on this Earth. We can win this. We can make them fall back and regret ever discovering our homes and threating us. Then we'll have to continue to fight. We'll have to take some of their land so they can understand that we are not someone that they can mess with without any consequences. That's why we have to work together in this. Should we fall apart, we lose. That barrier will hold out most attacks, but infantry and armor are going to get though." Yukari had to take a breath. "We have to make sure that we keep them as far from the Hakueri Shrine as possible. Reimu and Marisa are already in position in front of the shrine, along with a team of White Wolf Tengus."

Yukari pointed at an area in front of the stairs to the shrine. "This is where most of the attack is going to come from. At least from the ground. We still have to watch out for air assault, airborne, and paratrooper attacks behind our lines. Nitori, how long until the Tengu can be in the sky?"

"About 1 more hour. We just got to arm the planes and do last minute checks." The kappa consulted her clipboard. "Marisa's Apache should be done in about 45 minutes."

"The first part of the fighting is going to be rough, I won't lie about that." Yukari points at the Human Village. "Flandre has predicted that this is their second target. It's the center of Gensokyo, with multiple roads and easily defendable. But that's subject to change. Flandre also believes that should the Scarlet Devil Mansion launch their artillery, they would become the second target. The difference is that they would be more likely to send Special Forces to take the grid out than regular troops."

"Sakuya and Meiling have a surprise for our guests, should they happen to pay a visit." Remilia nodded. "But what about Patchy's Copper Spell?"

"As soon as NATO aircraft breach the barrier, that's when we should activate it. I don't want us to tip our hand before we absolutely have to. The spell only scrambles long range air to air missiles. We only really need it to cover our fighters until they're up in the sky under their own power. The Lunarian version is still under development, so we still have to worry about small arms." Yukari turned to Tenshi. "How accurate are your artillery operators?"

"I would say they can a target at 40 kilometers with only half a meter of deviation." Tenshi shrugged. "A lot of them were bored, so they studied this so hard and long that they're experts. They even have all the cannons sighted to fire at straight lines in front of the Hakueri Shrine, should the need arise."

"Good. Once we can get enough of them stopped inside the barrier, we can hit them hard." Yukari turned to Toyohime. "Where will you be inserting the 4th?"

The Lunarian pointed at a clearing about half a mile from the shrine. "This is the only place near the area of operations that I can transport them there. But I can't transport so many of them with the barrier up, so we'll have to stay on standby until then. Do you know how long it'll take?"

The gap youkai looks at the horizon. "The way it looks, it'll probably last another hour and a half. But I can't be sure until the artillery starts to hit."

"Thirty minutes left until contact," Nitori calls out from behind her screen.

"Time's running out." Yukari could be seen motioning to someone off to the side of her map. "We got most of this figured out, but we can't follow this blindly. I got Flandre to keep an eye on the data so that we're able to counter them as fast as possible." She paused. "It was good to have been able to know all of you and your troops. Not all of us are going to come back after this. It's the nature of war after all. But we can lessen it by trusting each other. Everyone, do your best and live to tell about it."

Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo-Zero Hour

Remiu was still in the prone hiding behind a bush. Her M4 started to shake and made her jump a little. Then she realized it was her nerves that was making it shake. She takes a deep breath to calm herself and looks straight ahead. The miko rests her head against the stock of her rifle and slides her head forward until her nose touches the charging handle. Laying like this, she had a steady sight picture.

She can hear Marisa moving around next to her, probably nervous like she was. The witch was laying down like the miko was but hadn't put her nose to her bolt. Nitori had warned her that with a weapon that powerful, that was asking for a bloody nose or black eye. Marisa had stuck a few twigs in her hat to break up her profile but couldn't really hide the giant bow on it.

The silence was the worst thing of all. There were no birds chirping and no wind at all. It seemed surreal, even to the pair. Deep down, the two were scared. They remembered something that Erwin Rommel had told them when he had trained them in holding actions. He had told them that it was natural to be scared before combat. That fear would be replaced with anger as soon as the bullets started to fly. And anger was a powerful motivator.

They had been thought by some of the best teachers, Remiu recognized that. And each one of them had said that she was wasting her potential by being lazy. But they hadn't been cross with her. In fact, they had talked with her at length and offered their own advice. They had seen the weight that she was carrying and had told her that they would be happy to talk with her again anytime. Even the rough talking General Patton had offered mentorship to her.

It was strange how the prospect of dying soon would make people think about the weirdest things at the weirdest times. She never would had given that a second thought if it wasn't for the fact that one of the deadliest invasion forces was headed straight for her shrine. And it was starting to sink in. Everyone around was right to say that she should had trained more. The miko promised herself that she would start when this battle was over.

Her eyes begin to strain from looking through the tiny sight so she lifts her head up and closes her eyes. For a few seconds, it seems like a normal day. The sun was shining, she could smell the flowers, and she could fell the grass under her. It almost seemed like she was safe.

Then she hears a loud high pitch whistle. Looking up, she sees fire rain down from the sky towards her.


	26. Chapter 26

Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo

The sky towards the direction of the Hakueri Shrine had suddenly gone orange. Every Celestial on the mountaintop had stopped what they were doing and was watching the display. It almost seemed like the sky itself was on fire. The explosions weren't happening in bursts or waves, they were just there.

Tenshi rushes into the small command post that she was near and is surprised by what she sees on the map. Arranged in a wide ring around the boundary, thousands of red Xs were flashing. The flashing symbols meant full artillery companies were firing. The radio that the Celestial kept in her pocket was full of traffic.

"There's too many of them!"

"First squad, come in! First squad!"

"We can't hold off firepower of that magnitude!"

"This is not what I signed up for!"

"CALM DOWN!" This was Nitori. "Keep off the radio unless you're giving updates. The barrier is still holding for now but those explosions are interfering with their radios. I say again: our first line is still active."

The eagerness that Tenshi had felt had disappeared, replaced with a feeling of dread. Then the sky above the shrine began to simmer a little. This really began to worry the Celestial.

"Barrier readouts still look solid. Everyone, hold your positions!" Nitori called out over the open channel. The sounds of multiple kappas yelling over alarms could be heard in the background. "First wave incoming after the barrage ends!"

Looking at the map again, Tenshi can see multiple aircraft start to from up near the FOBs. Flandre was right in saying that Special Forces would be the first to touch the ground after the artillery. The map shows more than an entire regiment was waiting for the shells to finish landing.

"All GDF units: Intel reports that the American 75th Ranger Regiment has been confirmed present. Numbers are estimated at 100% attendance. I say again: the Ranger Regiment is in the area." Nitori's voice came out of the radio again.

Tenshi poked her head out of the command post. "Heads up! Rangers are in the area!"

As the message was repeated, the outer ring of artillery began to designate one team member as security. Tenshi left the command post to get to the higher clearing that let her see almost all of Gensokyo. When she got up there after about five minutes of flying, the artillery attack still hadn't stopped. At this height, she could see that it wasn't just artillery shells, but rockets and missiles were hitting the barrier.

Even though Yukari had taught here that artillery was the deadliest force in combat, Tenshi couldn't help but find the way that the barrage hit the barrier to be beautiful. All of that power was something that appealed to her. It encouraged her to boost her own.

Hearing someone behind her brought her out of her thoughts. Turning around, she recognizes Iku. The messenger had a scroll from the Dragon Palace and a resigned look on her face.

"Eldest Daughter, the Dragon Palace has been talking about your actions during the Yamaxanadu's assassination attempt."

"What have they been saying, Iku?"

"Some were impressed with your actions while others were talking about calling for your resignation. But the majority support you."

"Are the higher ups in the majority?"

"All but one or two," Iku hands Tenshi the scroll. "The Dragon Palace has sent you this. They would like for you to open it immediately."

The Celestial takes the scroll and checks the seal. Seeing that it's still intact, she breaks it and reads the content. Her eyes narrow in confusion and she folds it up after she's done. Giving a nod of gratitude to Iku, she pulls out her cell phone and types a quick text.

"Iku, I need to ask you a question but it has to stay between the two of us."

"Ask, Eldest Daughter."

Tenshi hesitates. "Do you think…that all of this was planned by someone?"

"Eldest Daughter, I don't know what you mean."

"I was just thinking that everything was normal until the barrier started to weaken. That barrier's stood for so long without it weakening, until now. Why now? Is it because of all the incidents? Or is it because we overstepped our boundaries?"

"Does it matter now, Eldest Daughter? If we knew the reason and could do something about it, then it would be different. But the barrier's about to collapse and we have the outside world about to take everything we know away. You should focus on the here and now instead of the past."

"I know." Tenshi planted her sword into the mountain rock. "But I have the feeling that I'm being played by someone that has planned all of this out. And they'll stop at nothing to get what they want."

Iku stepped forward until her mouth was about half an inch away from Tenshi's left ear. She whispered in a very low voice, "Eldest Daughter, watch what you say and to whom you say it to. These are very dangerous times and our enemies are on both sides of the barrier. I can only protect you against so much. Especially if what I'm thinking is true. No, don't ask me about it yet. I still need more evidence."

The Celestial froze for the second time since the artillery started to fall. She could still hear the faint sounds of shells on the barrier so far away. Iku stepped back to her original spot, performing a quick scan of the surrounding area. She then turns and begins to take to the sky, but not before she gives Tenshi one more warning. "Eldest Daughter, be wary of any communication that you get from the Dragon Palace. And trust everything Yukari says."

Tenshi was grateful for the fact that she had read so many outside world political thrillers because it felt like she had just been dropped into one. Iku's words kept repeating themselves again and again. It was obvious that the messenger knew more than she did. And the fact that the she was warned about the Dragon Palace didn't bode well for anyone.

But what did Yukari have to do with this? First Yukari gives her another chance, and now it seems that someone wants to get rid of both of them. Tenshi couldn't think of anyone that would benefit by having Yukari out of the way. Not unless they were wanting to take control of Gensokyo. But that would only work if the barrier was intact.

Looking over at the barrier, Tenshi notices that the shelling stopped. She grips her sword tightly. The first wave is on its way.

Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo

With the iron rain stopped, Remiu could finally figure out what had happened. Her ears were ringing and her hands were shaking. She was worried that the others hadn't escaped the rounds but relaxed when she looked around. None of the rounds had made it past the barrier, but the shock waves had caused some trees to explode. And now that her radio worked, she could hear Nitori bring everything back under control.

"All units, hold your positions. The first wave of helicopters are 20 seconds out. Looks like their spearhead is here."

Looking over to her side, Reimu could see Marisa dusting her hat off and bring her rifle up. The miko does the same with her M4 and waits. Her bush shakes when her rifle transfers her twitches to it, causing her to focus on slowing her breathing down. For the first time, the sensation of fear begins to creep up on her. She hated having the icy feeling in her stomach.

Those twenty seconds were the longest twenty seconds of her life. Then she saw specks in the sky. It was a wing of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. And it seemed that there were a lot of them. Remiu activates her radio, "Nitori, how many helicopters are there?"

"Looks like over 350, but only about 20 are moving forward. Flandre says that those 20 are going to get in closer and fast rope troops. Be careful, those are most likely troops from the American 75th Ranger Regiment. Stay behind all possible cover and concealment. If you are in danger of being overrun, retreat towards the Human Village."

Remiu sharply inhaled, she knew that they were going to be in for a fight. And a helicopter was getting close to where her bush was. It keeps on getting closer until she can make out the passengers and door gunners. She could also see the pilot looking around to make sure the area was clear. Moving back to hide better in the bush, Remiu brought her rifle up.

She couldn't get a good sight picture on the pilot so she ended up having to aim at the door gunner. Then several ropes were thrown out of both sides of the helicopter. Cursing under her breath, she tried to see which one would have the first soldier. The miko counts at least fifteen of them in full battle rattle pulling security form inside the hovering aircraft.

Seeing movement, she aims at him. She gets her sight picture centered on his torso. Pulling in the M4 to steady it, she waits until she's done exhaling. Then she squeezes the trigger. The bullet springs to life and hurls out of the barrel, a bright red bullet marking her position. The round hits her target and causes him to fall out of the helicopter. But before he can fall more than a few feet, the soldier is grabbed by his comrades. The door gunner starts to fire towards where the red bullet came from, forcing Remiu to leave her spot amid a shower of tracer rounds.

Running towards another tree, she sees her target sit up, but with some trouble. The fear that she felt earlier had disappeared, replaced with a sense of anger. She ducks behind another tree, flinching as bullets send dirt flying everywhere. The Black Hawk turns to face her and moves in. The miko takes a knee and sends more bullets flying towards it, but they aren't having that much of an effect.

Others in the area were more preoccupied with their own helicopters. Then AH-64s began to fly towards the fight and fired their missiles. The forest was full of the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Trees were exploding all around them and bullets were sending chunks of dirt into the air. Remiu was starting to doubt her chances of surviving when she heard a loud gunshot.

Looking over, she spots Marisa on a knee. She had fired the shot and had managed to damage the helicopter. As the aircraft began to smoke and turn around, the witch rotates her bolt and fires another shot. This time, the round caused it to start to lose control. A third shot set the engine on fire and sent it into a tailspin. On the way down, the pair could see soldiers being thrown out of it. The pilot was trying to regain control but slammed his head on the instrument panel. Then the disabled aircraft disappeared behind the tree line and an explosion was heard.

A second or two later, a volley of missiles rammed into almost every helicopter in the nearby area and dealt severe damage. Some of them met the same fate as the first while the lucky ones were forced to turn back. A second volley of missiles dispersed the bigger group that was waiting.

"This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Our air defense artillery's having problems targeting those helicopters. You'll going to have to hold them off yourselves until the Tengus get in the sky." Koakuma's voice was strained over the radio. "Lady Patchouli's trying to figure it out but she doubts that we can keep hitting them with good hits."

"Status update: NATO helicopters are offloading their troops outside of the barrier. Be prepared for a ground assault," Nitori called out again. "Armor units have also been spotted in the area. If you have a Mosin Nagant, aim for the treads to disable them. Tengu air support is still twenty five minutes away." There was a pause where someone could be heard yelling in the background. "Russian troops have also left their checkpoints. Be on the lookout for Spetznaz operatives."

Even though they had heard the kappa, Reimu and Marisa didn't move. They were both looking towards the smoke that was coming from the wreckage of the first helicopter. They could sense the White Wolf Tengus moving towards the FOBs, aiming to cut communication from the enemy chain of command. But what had just happened was taking up the majority of their attention.

Marisa Kirisame had just made the first kill of the Battle of the Great Hakueri Barrier.


	27. Chapter 27

Outside the Great Hakueri Barrier

The plan was going well until the artillery began to fly. Renko had grabbed Maribel and dropped to the ground. They had covered their heads and ears while the sounds of explosions had gone on for more than 10 minutes. Once it had stopped, they had stayed down until they risked a peek. Seeing that the coast was clear, the pair got up and looked around.

Then they spotted the helicopters flying towards the shrine. Renko grabs Maribel's hand and runs in that direction. The pair keep running until they see one of the lead helicopters get hit by bright colored bullets and crash. Renko stops and then steps back when a volley of missiles fly over them and hit more helicopters. Maribel gasps and hides behind Renko.

The physicist looks around and finds a group of trees. She leads Maribel there so they can have some cover from all the chaos around them. More missiles fly above them, this time in multiple directions. Then a helicopter crashes a few hundred meters away from them. The sound of the explosion almost covered up Maribel's yelp of surprise.

Smoke began to float above the trees, blocking their view of the sky. But they could still hear the sounds of explosions and gunfire. And they also hear one word being repeated all around them in English.

"MEDIC!"

Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo

A certain kitsune and nekomata were dashing through the woods when the older one felt her cellphone vibrate. Stopping and taking a knee behind a bush while Chen had her Ruger 10/22 and was pulling security, Ran was surprised to have received a text from Tenshi. She frowns when she reads the contents and shakes her head.

"Chen, change of plan. How's your ammo?"

"I got about 10 magazines left, Lady Ran."

"And grenades?"

"I still have all of them."

"Follow my lead."

Putting away her cellphone, the kitsune unslings her H&K G36 and begins to sprint towards the area in front of the Hakueri Shrine. Chen was right behind her, keeping an eye out behind them.

Voile, Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo

The library was a blur of activity. Patchouli was zipping around casting spells and Koakuma was gathering materials. The pair was also trying to keep an ear on the radio during all of this. Fairy maids were also running around, trying to help. Looking at her notes, the librarian couldn't figure out what was making the spells not want to work.

Then Koakuma let out a satisfied outburst, "Lady Patchouli, I fixed both of the spells!"

The librarian immediately flew to the control panel and slammed both hands down on two buttons. One of them activated the radio while the other activated her masterpiece.

"This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion, both spells are now fixed! They are now in effect!"

Outside the mansion, the various launchers began to rotate. They were searching for targets and froze when they found some. Their rockets ignited and charged out of the holders. All of them flew straight up for about 3,000 feet and then executed a sharp turn that faced them towards the sky above the shrine. With Patchouli's Copper Spell in effect, all electronic targeting was being jammed. That left only magical tracking for all of the GDF's ordnance.

Less than 20 seconds out, multiple squadrons of NATO F-22s, F-18s, and F-16s were coming in for an attack run. Their attention was focused on the anti-aircraft batteries that had lit up near the human village. Many of them didn't see the mass of missiles that began to crash into most of them. The lucky ones managed to deploy flares that attracted the missiles meant for them.

The formation was shattered, with the few aircraft that survived scattering. The helicopters that they were covering hadn't been spared from the destruction. Most of the survivors from the first wave had been hit and went down. A lone F-22 Raptor had managed to get deeper into Gensokyo and was trying to get a target lock on the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

He switches on the targeting computer built into his air to ground missile and was aiming towards the clock tower. The beeps that he's expecting never come. Looking down, he sees that his instrument panel is being effected by static. Then a bright red blur tears through his left wing. The impact makes the aircraft wobble and alarms go off in the cockpit. Then a missile hits the Raptor's underside.

Outside the Hakueri Barrier

The second volley of missiles had created even more confusion. More aircraft had crashed into the forest around Maribel and Renko. The pair where too confused to even think about moving. Then they heard more noise from the direction away from the barrier.

A group of NATO troops were running through the woods, trying to help the survivors of all the wreckage. A few of them created a circle around a crash site about 250 meters from the hiding pair. Renko motions to Maribel to stay quiet and low. Then another explosion went off in the distance, causing Maribel to yelp in surprise.

The outburst had attracted the attention of the troops and they began to open fire on the pair. A round missed the magician's face by less than an inch. Renko grabs her hand and begins to run towards the shrine. Half of the group of soldiers began to run after them, determined to take them down. Another platoon was nearby when they saw Maribel and Renko run past them.

One of the squads was a mortar team, so the pair found themselves having to dodge mortar rounds as they ran. They were lucky that the team hadn't had the time to properly sight their tube, so the rounds were going wide on either side.

Renko couldn't think of any way that they were going to get out of this.

Eientei, Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo

Reisen was no stranger to the sounds of gunfire and explosions. But they still brought back memories of the last time she was in combat. She still felt like she was fighting in the Lunar War. Her ears began to twitch, a sign that she was going back to her old combat mode.

The moon rabbit was patrolling around the mansion when the sounds began to get closer. Her grip began to tighten around her rifle, causing her knuckles to turn white. She had her original service rifle at the ready.

Sensing close combat near, she takes a knee and installs a bayonet at the end of the rifle. That action triggered the avalanche of memories.

Dark Side of the Moon, 1969

"Damn."

Reisen watched artillery create craters all over the side of the mountain she was about to charge. Taking a knee, she pulls out a pair of binoculars and looks at the mountain to her north. She can see her side trade fire with the assassins from the earth. The amount of fire that the assassins were putting out surprised Reisen.

"We're badly pinned down. Need support, over."

She could barely hear anything other than bullets but can make out someone talking. The voice on the radio was familiar to her. Then she remembered it was one of her comrades from initial training. Her squad was supposed to securing a mountaintop that was not far from Reisen's present location. And it sounded like they were taking the blunt of the entire attack.

Sprinting to a better viewpoint, she drops to the prone and looks through her scope. She can see hundreds of tracers crisscrossing the mountainside. Then another artillery barrage hits. Thousands of Lunarian flares rain down all over the mountain. Reisen's heart drops when she sees that rounds are hitting their own troops. Her radio instantly erupted into a storm of calls for ceasefire. But it's too late as flares drop down on the mountain top, setting the rocks on fire.

Reisen's eye was attracted by a glint of light. She moves her crosshair towards the source and sees a squad of Lunarians locked in close combat against a large group of assassins. While her comrades were well trained, Reisen could tell that they were going to be overrun. Firing a quick laser burst, she counts the time it takes to get back. She calculates the distance at 2.5 miles.

Taking a deep breath, she aims at one of the experienced ones that was taking a Lunarian on one on one. She finds it strange that the assassin's wearing a green beret and wielding such an ugly weapon. The human had forced his opponent back and was starting to reload his weapon. Reisen squeezes the trigger and waits. Two seconds later, he's spun around as the bullet impacts his chest. His body's flung into one of his nearby comrades and knocks him down.

She unloads the rest of her internal magazine, four more shots, and takes down 7 of the more experienced assassins. A bullet ricochets off the rock next to her. Rolling behind the boulder away from it, Reisen gets a good look at the little trench it creates. She can tell the direction and height it comes from and pulls out a small mirror.

Angling it, she spots the shooter. About half a mile away, he's accompanied by a spotter. Both of them wear the strange green colored beret. She can see their mouths moving, probably trying to find another shot.

The artillery begins to rain down again. This time, it starts on the base of the mountain that Reisen's holding. And then it turns into flares.

"Shit, shit, shit!" The flares begin to speed up, forcing Reisen to expose herself to enemy fire as she ran away from the fire. She didn't think that she would have to face that much but was surprised by the sheer volume of bullets that came close to her. Some of them were even colliding in the air around her. The rocky terrain did nothing to help her sprint.

Down the mountain, she could see a Lunarian officer cutting assassins down left and right with her katana. She pulls out her sidearm and fires a few shots before an assassin catches her in the back with a shotgun. As she falls, she manages to turn around and punches her killer in the throat. She hits the ground and keeps firing into his body. Reisen charges at the rest of the assassins and takes them by surprise.

They're too tired from the last fight to be able to bring their weapons up in time. The moon rabbit slams every weapon out of their hands and stabs one of them with her bayonet. He screams as the knife is drawn out and Reisen's foot kicks him down the mountain side. She turns around and slams the stock of her rifle into another green beret's head and hears a loud crack.

The rest of the assassins draw their knives and rush forward. The mortally wounded officer reloads but is starting to have trouble holding up her sidearm. She manages to take down two more before she can't hold it up anymore. In that time, Reisen had killed three more with vicious neck snaps. The last one grabs her from behind and tries to choke her. The moon rabbit elbows him in the stomach and extends his arm. Then moves forward, causing a loud crack to sound and bone to break skin.

Reisen flips him over and grabs his head. With one quick movement, she snaps his neck. Taking a quick look, she clears the area. Then she rushes to the wounded officer, taking out her medical kit on the way. But it was too late, she had bled out from the large wound on her back. She had died with her eyes open and a solid grip on both her weapons. The moon rabbit takes out a large poncho and covers the body. It took a bit of effort, but she managed to pry the katana free and planted it in the rock in front of the body.

Taking a moment to wish for her fallen comrade to find eternal rest, Reisen took a knee. Once she felt that the pause was long enough, she got up and began to run towards the forest near her. The forest was quiet, a sharp contrast to the mountainside she had just left. She kept sprinting at full speed, trying to reach a rally point near her.

Then she ran right into an assassin. She had been running so fast that their impact had knocked them back a few feet. Something white had being knocked out of a pocket from the assassin. They had both seen it fly and tried to grab it first. But instead of the cold determination of the others, this one had become desperate when he saw it. Lashing out, his rifle connects with Reisen's side.

Out of instinct, she throws an uppercut that catches him on the chin. He falls back, but rolls to his side. The moon rabbit charges after him, stabbing with her bayonet. The assassin scrambles back, moving from side to side to avoid the stabs. Then he trips and falls backwards.

Reisen jumps forward, delivering the final strike. But her target manages to bring his rifle up and lock hers. They both push against each other, not giving an inch. This close, she could see the desperation in his eyes. All that mattered to him was getting what had being knocked away from him. The moon rabbit is surprised when he finds the strength to swipe her feet out from under her.

She lands hard on her side, but rolls away when a rifle strike comes out of the air towards her. Reisen lashes out with a reverse roundhouse kick that connects with her target's shoulder. He's slammed back into the ground, causing him to lose his grip on his rifle. Seeing her opportunity, she stabs again.

This time, it hits his stomach. She pushed forward until she was stopped by the barrel of her rifle. Then she pulls the trigger and send a bullet through him. She jumps back, pulling the blade clear. Breathing heavily, she rotates the bolt on her rifle, ready to fire another shot.

But the stab and bullet wounds were enough to take him down. Reisen remembers what he was fighting for and sees it laying a few feet away. She picks it up and is surprised by what it was.

It's a picture of a woman holding a child. The child was young, it was obvious that she hadn't begun to walk yet. On the back, it was a short letter and a countdown. Reisen could guess that it was a countdown to when he would be able to see them again. But due to the surprise attack, the countdown was now void.

A noise behind her attracted her attention. Spinning around, she holds her rifle at the high ready. But it was only the mortally wounded assassin. He had managed to pull another letter from his pocket and was trying to wipe blood off it in vain. The moon rabbit steps closer, lowering her weapon. She kneels down next to him but knows there's no way that he can survive the wounds she inflicted.

The sounds of battle still resonate in the background but fell on deaf ears. Reisen had never fought anyone that had the skill and heart that the dying man in front of her had. She takes a gentle grip on the letter he's holding.

"Don't worry. I'll rewrite it and make sure that it gets where it needs to."

The assassin's eyes widen in surprise. After a few seconds, he gives her nod of gratitude.

"Thank you."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, his head falls back and he goes limp. Reisen slings her rifle and stands up. She pulls out a note pad and a pen. Finding a spot with good cover, she sits and begins to rewrite the letter. When she's done, she takes the green colored beret off the dead man's head and puts the letter and picture in it. As she's trying to figure out how she's going to get it back to the earth, she hears someone approaching. Seeing a bush nearby, she quickly hides behind it.

A lone assassin runs into the clearing. He stops when he sees the body and begins to sweep his weapon around. Reisen responds with a bullet to the weapon, knocking it out of his hands. Then she begins to walk forward. Her target begins to glance around, looking for a way to continue the fight.

"No, don't even try." She flicks her head to the body. "Look at what happened to him. But I have no intention of killing you."

"Why should I believe you? Just go ahead and shoot me, avoid the games."

"Because I need you to deliver something. Look at his headgear."

The assassin looks and spots the picture and the letter.

"His last wish was for that to be returned to his family. Most of the others that die here won't have the chance for their loved ones to know what happened to them. Give me your word that you'll deliver this and I will let you go."

"Deal."

He moves forward and crouches down to retrieve the letter. But Reisen sees sudden movement and tenses up. The assassin looks at her and begins to move his right arm. Out of instinct, she shoots him in the neck. He's spun around and falls face down. She moves forward to kick the weapon out of his hand but stops when she notices that he wasn't armed. She had just killed an unarmed person. And she could keep the promise she made to the other dead man.

Then she remembered all of the others she had killed, treating the attack as a game. The picture was still fresh in her mind. What if every person she had killed had a family that would never know what happened to their loved one? She had always said that she understood their pain, but now she actually felt it. And it made her feel like a monster.

There was no way that she could go back to her unit. Not with everyone fighting for their lives while she treated everything like a game. The sounds of artillery began to move closer, forcing her to make a decision. Looking at the direction directly away from the battle, she runs. She keeps running, not looking back for anything. She was running away from her life of war and the profession of arms.


	28. Chapter 28

Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo

Back at the workshop, every aircraft was ready to go. Tengu pilots were making mad dashes to their waiting vehicles, while kappas where directing them onto the strip. Aya was still not used to the power that she felt coming from the SU-47. She can see a kappa wave her forward and begins to test her rudders and wings. Once she gets the thumbs up, she pushes the throttle all the way and is pushed back into her seat.

The black jet shoots forward and off the side of the mountain. It falls for a second and then has enough airflow to pull up. She goes up to 4,000 feet, waiting for her squadron to from up behind her. Looking around, she can see thick patches of magical flak exploding above the Hakueri Shrine and the Human Village. On her map, she can see formations of enemy aircraft heading towards them. Remnants of the first wave are still dodging missiles and gunfire from all directions.

"Command to all Black Crows, mission update. A second wave of NATO aircraft are incoming. Intel says they're mostly fighter bombers and attack cart. All Black Crows, you are cleared to engage."

Aya's SU-47 turned towards the shrine and turned on full afterburner. The tengu thought about going in low but didn't want to risk hurting her comrades on the ground with the sonic boom. The rest of her squadron catches up again and moves into formation flying. Her wing mates move forward until they have their wingtips less than a foot from their canopies. They bank to the left and all of them rise up at the same rate.

Once they reach their desired altitude, they flip over until they're upside down. Aya scans around until she catches a glimpse of light being reflected. She can see the fighters break off when they spot her. As one, her squadron breaks off, going in every direction. A red tipped F-22 Raptor catches her attention as it dodges the volley of missiles that hit the rest of the Raptors.

Her radio begins to buzz with mostly random activity from every tengu squadron in the air.

"Break off, break off! He's right behind you!"

"Watch this!"

"Use the flares! Use the flares!"

"Do a barrel roll!"

"What's a barrel roll going to do?"

"He's on my tail! Somebody get him!"

"Cut to the left, I got you."

"Watch out, we got a badass over here."

"Don't be that guy."

"Looks like I just stirred the hornet's nest."

The Raptor that Aya was tailing knew what the tengu was wanting to do, so it launched itself into a dizzying array of turns and rolls that she found hard to follow. But she still kept going, determined not to lose him.

The dogfight began to move towards the interior of Gensokyo. Before she knew it, they were flying over the Misty Lake. The air defense systems of the Scarlet Devil Mansion began to slowly fire at the Raptor, being careful to avoid hitting Aya. Sensing an opening, the Raptor dropped an unarmed missile. But a short burst of red bullets hit it, setting it off well above the mansion.

"This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The point defense system is fully online." Koakuma was on the radio again. "Tengu squadrons, we can't hit the fighters without risking friendly fire due to spell circle problems. We're working on them right now. We need you to keep the fighter bombers away from us so we can hit the bombers coming in."

Nitori joined in as well. "Most of the helicopters are ready to lift off. Black Crow Squadron 2, we need you to fly cover for them."

That was Hatate's squadron. On the map, Aya could see them disengage from the fur ball and head back towards Youkai Mountain. She covers them the best she can, but has to focus most of her attention on her prey. Her magic powered missiles are having trouble getting a lock, so she increases thrust to get closer. She gets close enough to see the rivets in the fuselage but is taken by surprise when the Raptor rolls to the side and cuts its thrust dramatically. Aya rushes forward and the Raptor increase its thrust back to the same as before. Now, Aya is dodging gunfire and live missiles.

Aya deploys flares to distract the missiles and executes a sharp turn to the left. She dives down, stopping when she's barely 200 feet from the treetops. To be able to get a missile lock, the Raptor pilot has to get in close to get past the Copper Spell. He shows a remarkable skill level in being able to keep up with the spastic tengu. Tired of waiting for the missiles to get a lock, the Raptor pilot opens up with his machine gun. The bullets begin to graze the SU-47, causing Aya to add even more evasive maneuvers to her flight.

"Black Crow 1, lead them back to the mansion. We got an idea." Koakuma could be heard trying to catch her breath. "Reload those launchers right now! Repairers, give me a count on how many spell circles got knocked out! We got company coming in from the west. Get me a lock on them, now! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

The reporter cuts to the left again, flinching when bullets bounce off her cockpit. She can see one of her wing mates being chased by three Raptors. But as soon as they were near the Scarlet Devil Mansion, a volley of missiles slammed into the NATO aircraft.

"Black Crow 5, you're all clear." Then the sounds of sparks being emitted could be heard in the background. "Don't cross those spell circles! Squad two, reload Lady Patchouli's launchers! Black Crow 1, I have eyes on you. Bring it in closer."

Aya's about to cut again when a missile flies within a foot of her cockpit. She reacts instantly, pulling to the other side and deploying another set of flares. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to do anything while being chased, she decides to turn the tables.

She slams the button that disables the G and angle of attack limiter. Then she pulls back on the control stick hard. Thrust down into her seat this time, she waits until she's angled up at 120 degrees and loses most of her speed. Then she centers the elevator, pitching the aircraft forward. Her form was perfect, the SU-47 hadn't rolled or yawed at all during the maneuver. And even better, her adrenaline was starting to kick in.

Surprised, the Raptor pilot overshoots Aya, giving the tengu the advantage. She locks on his movements, time making sure that she won't fall for any more tricks. Figuring out that his opponent was serious, the NATO pilot dives down until he's about 100 feet from the ground. Aya follows him, firing her machine gun all the way. A lucky shot rips through his left wing, causing the aircraft to fishtail for a bit. But her opponent won't be taken down that easily. Then they remember where they are.

Solid streams of anti-air fire come up from the ground, forcing the dueling pair to start a dance to dodge all of them. If it wasn't for the fact that Aya's eyes were used to having danmaku everywhere, she would had been in trouble. She could tell that the other pilot was having trouble seeing but still kept going. Then magical flak began to explode all around them, creating clouds of every color imaginable.

The pilot becomes determined to at least take his opponent with him, so he starts to get even closer to the ground. The dogfight turns into a game of cat and mouse as both aircraft weave in and out of anti-air fire and the various tall trees. One wrong move could mean the end for either of them.

But being the fastest in Gensokyo meant that Aya had the reflexes for this. Every move that the fighter made in front of her, she countered and followed perfectly. She wasn't fazed at all by the near misses, in fact she was even more confident since she had a cockpit to protect her.

"Black Crow 1, you have the last fighter. The rest of your squadron is being moved to the gateway for the next wave. We can't send you backup so you're on your own." Nitori was almost drowned out by an alarm. "Third wave of NATO forces is heading for the Shrine. They have armor and air support. Barrier is still up. Green group, stick close to holding sector MG-7!"

Aya wasn't worried about not having backup. She was more than happy to be able to fight such a good opponent by herself. He almost gets the slip on her by braking and going into a slide, but the tengu was an expert in that trick herself. Matching his maneuver exactly, she adds a little power to move up and tap his rudders. He jerks in surprise and Aya gives him some space.

She opens up with her machine gun again, this time hitting the elevators and causing an engine fire. The aircraft starts to fishtail again, but regains some measure of control. Aya still keeps on firing, hitting the right wing and setting it on fire as well. Starting a slow roll, the underside is hit by one of Aya's magical missiles. A small explosion comes out of the cockpit as the NATO pilot ejects. But with the aircraft upside down, he went straight into the forest.

The downed aircraft crashes into the forest, starting yet another fire. Aya pulls up, wanting to get a better view of the sky around her. The surrounding area was clear, giving her a chance to catch her breath. She realized that she was so hyped up during the entire chase just now. It would not do to have her reputation of being calm, cool and collective ruined.

She checks her map, there was another fur ball happening above the Hakueri Shrine. Not wanting to be left out of the party, she turns and activates her afterburners.

Near the Great Hakueri Barrier, Outside Gensokyo

It was business as usual for the Sealing Club. A lot of running and looking for old shrines. But something was different about today. Maybe it was the bullets and mortars raining down all around them. And the fact that now an entire company of NATO troops was chasing them.

If she had to guess, Renko would say that they had already run at least two and a half miles. Maribel had begun to slow down a mile ago, but had grabbed Renko's hand. The look in her eyes was begging the physicist not to leave her. In response, Renko had a tight grip on her hand. She swore that she wouldn't leave her best friend, no matter what.

They kept running, even with their sides hurting and their calves seizing up. Their adrenaline boost had hit as soon as the first bullet flew towards then but had worn off half a mile ago. And the mortar team had finally gotten their ranges right, so they were starting to hit closer and closer. Then the bigger guns started to drop shells near them.

This forces their pursuers to give them more distance, but does little else to help the pair's situation. But about two hundred yards in front of them, they can see a large ditch. They sprint to it, trying to ignore their exhaustion. About a hundred yards in, an artillery shell hits extremely close to them. Both of them are thrown forward into the ground from the blast. Shrapnel flies everywhere, narrowly missing Maribel but cutting Renko on the cheek.

The physicist barely notices the cut, immediately shaking her head and trying to get Maribel back on her feet. She's badly disorientated by the blast, with blurred vision and ringing in her ears. But they both manage to get back to running towards the ditch, wanting at least some cover from their pursuers.

After what felt like an eternity of running, they finally reach the ditch. Instead of jumping in, the pair just falls in amid a hail of bullets. Trying to catch her breath, Renko sits against the sloping ground. She tries to think of a plan to get them out but draws a blank. Maribel sits next to her, too tired to do anything else.

Outside the ditch, the company sets up defensive positions. The front element begins to line up and reload. Then they slowly begin to walk forward. Holding their weapons at the high ready, they're prepared to fire as soon as they see either of them.

Maribel grips Renko's arm tightly and buries her head into her shoulder. Renko still can't think of anything but spots a branch next to her. There's no way that it could get them out of this but she would rather go down protecting Maribel than being defenseless. She grips the branch tightly, and closes her eyes.

"Mary, I don't think we got a way out."

"I'm sorry." Maribel was starting to have tears in her eyes. "I never should have dragged you here with me."

Renko grabs her in a tight embrace. "That doesn't matter, I would had followed you anyway if you tried to do this by yourself."

Before Maribel could respond, a loud roar was heard from the side. It was an unworldly roar that made the hair on both of their necks stand on end. Renko risks a look and is astonished by what she sees. Two giant demons had flown into the middle of the company and were throwing them everywhere. The soldiers had opened fire on them but it was having no effect.

The pair hears running from behind them and tense up. Out of the bushes, a kitsune and nekomata hop out and slide into the ditch with them. The nekomata drops to the prone and crawls up the slope until her rifle is out and begins to lay down blue and red bullets.

The pair recognizes the kitsune as one of the attendees of the UN meeting weeks before.

"Don't worry, we're not here to attack you." The kitsune spoke in a gentle voice. "I am called Ran Yakumo and that's Chen over there." The two tailed cat gives them a quick wave in between magazine changes. Ran looks to the melee and drops down. "Get down, you two."

Renko drops down, bringing Maribel with her. Half a second later, a flailing solider flies through the air that they had just occupied and crashed into a tree. Ran brings up her rifle and puts two shots in him to be sure he won't be a problem. "We were asked to come help both of you. I know a place where we can go and I can explain everything there."

The pair look at each other for a second before they both nod. Ran calls out, "Chen, get ready to pull back. How much longer does your spell card last?"

"About ten more seconds, Lady Ran."

"Lead these two back to the shrine. I'll cover you."

"Yes, Lady Ran."

Chen slides down the slope and runs back into the woods while Renko guides Maribel after her. Ran lays down and begins to shoot the officers that she can spot. She waits until Chen's spell card, Oni Sign: Red Oni, Blue Oni times out before she pulls out her own grenade. When she hears the soldiers begin to regroup, she sneaks a peek and throws it. It hits a solider in the head and lands at his feet.

It explodes, sending a mass of purple and blue bullets flying into neat squares. Orbs fly out to form a perimeter and begin to emit bullets in a whirling pattern. Any soldier unlucky enough to be hit by one instantly went down. The remaining officers try to restore order while medics attend to their fallen comrades. Ran knew that their efforts were in vain since, without the Hakueri spellcard rules to hold her back, every bullet delivered instant death.

She knew that she should had felt guilt but with everything on the line, she was more concerned with giving Chen a better chance of survival. After a quick magazine change, she slides back down the berm and runs back into the woods. Her spell card, Shikigami "Banquet of 12 General Gods" won't last for long when at lethal power, so she has little time to waste. Following a trio of footsteps, she finds Chen, Maribel, and Renko. They barely get done linking up before they're forced to throw themselves on the ground as an F-18 Hornet flies low overhead and is destroyed by an SU-47 unleashing a hail of rockets into its engines. From the side, an A-10 Thunderbolt II tries to get away but bursts into flames when heavy streams of magical bullets tears into its missiles.

The shock of the blast destroys branches that fall everywhere. Quickly raising a barrier, Chen stops branches and splinters from hitting the group. Ran raises her head and pulls her radio out again.

"Nitori, those fighters are getting too close to the ground! What happened to the air defense grid?"

"There's too many of them for the grid to take and they're being overloaded," Nitori pauses as an alarm goes off. "We got another wave coming in! Looks like the British and French want to join the party. We got a better kill ratio but we're getting overrun."

Then on the main channel, "This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion, our targeting spell's gone out! All we have left are the cannons, but they're starting to overheat. And we got company on the ground! Patches identify them as the 1st Armored Division!"

"We have armored units moving to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. All Apaches, move to defend the air defense grid. 2nd Squad of White Wolf Tengus, we need you there as well," Nitori was starting to go into a frenzy. "Human Village also reports contact on the north side. And it looks like we have traitors."

"Damn, this isn't looking good," Ran takes a knee and pulls out her cell phone. She types a quick text and sends it off. "I hope she's paying attention right now. She's the only one that can get us out of this mess. Chen, what's your count on ammo and grenades?"

"I have six magazines and fifteen spell card grenades left, Lady Ran."

Ran pulls out a Colt Single Action Army revolver and holds it out to Renko. "Take this, it's not as good as a rifle but it still hits hard. Have you ever shot a firearm before?"

Renko shakes her head and holds the weapon gingerly.

"First, get a good grip on it. There, just like that. Then remember the most important think: never aim it at anything that you don't intend to kill. Especially since this one is modified to be more powerful. Next, the five fundamentals of shooting: firm grip, breath control, sight picture, trigger squeeze, and follow through. You go the first one down. Breath control is just shooting when you're on the natural pause between breaths. Sight picture is making sure that you keep looking at through the sights the same way every time. Pick a way to position the revolver and shoot it only that way. Follow through is not jerking the weapon as soon as you pull the trigger. Wait about half a second before moving it. That way the bullet won't miss by so little."

The physicist had a blank look on her face. Ran knew that it was a lot of information to digest in such a small amount of time. "Don't worry about remembering all that. Just take it nice and slow and you'll get it in no time. Now come on, we have to get to the shrine before we get surrounded."

(A/N: I was wondering about putting previews or what ifs at the end of the chapters but decided to see what all of you thought before I made a decision.)


	29. Chapter 29

Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo

A large detachment of the 75th Ranger Regiment hadn't been expecting that much trouble when they were walking through the seemly deserted brush. But that changed when Reisen had spotted them.

Immediately taking down three officers with three shots from her service rifle, she had caused them to disperse. The moon rabbit recognized them as special forces and was eager to show them what the Lunarian Defense Corps had taught her. The fear and nervousness had disappeared when the first round had left the barrel.

With the equivalent of an entire company pouring down fire in her direction, Reisen was forced to fall back. Some of the lead elements decide to give chase while the others scan the surrounding areas. She began to weave between trees, dodging bursts of fire. At a downed bamboo trunk, she feigns a stumble, covering the fact that she had armed and dropped a live grenade.

The Rangers don't notice until one of them almost trips on it. It explodes, sending a mass of red bullets that phase in and out randomly. All but one are taken down by her spell grenade. The noise had attracted the rest of the Rangers, keeping pressure on the moon rabbit. Bullets begin to increase in volume as she kept running. She's so focused that she barely notices a low flying A-10 leaving a trail of fire and smoke.

A bullet zips by her left ear, telling her that they were getting closer. Turning around, she takes half a second to do some calculations. Then she brings her rifle up and pulls the trigger. The bullet hits a bamboo tree at an angle, sending it into two of her pursuers. Another small group of them appear from the left, sending Reisen running again.

She recognizes the clearings that she runs through. A few hundred meters, there was a bunker that she had set up earlier. If she can reach it, she can deal a lot of damage to the Rangers and keep them away from Eientei. Another NATO fighter, this time an F-22, was spinning out of control and crashed. From the direction and distance, she guesses that the fighter had probably crashed into some of the Rangers.

A little rectangular hole showed her that she had reached the bunker. The hail of bullets made going through the back door too risky, so she slides in through the front. Ignoring the branches and rocks scratching her legs, she lands and rolls. She spots a MG-42 that Nitori had modified and picks it up. Slamming it down on the ledge made by the hole, she leans forward and gets her lane of fire.

Movement attracted her eye and she squeezes the trigger. Bright red bullets tear through the first few groups that were caught in the clearing. The rest scattered, racing to find any cover from the waves of death that the moon rabbit was sending out. The kappa had guessed that the machine gun would have to hold off large numbers by itself and added another type of magic to each bullet.

It was great not having to worry about causing the barrel to overheat. The water magic that Nitori had infused in each bullet cooled down the barrel with every shot, making it safe to the touch, even after hundreds of rounds. Since the Rangers couldn't had known this, they were waiting for a pause in the firing that would never come. Then Reisen heard something land next to her.

Looking down, she sees a grenade. Quickly reaching down, she grabs it and returns it to the thrower. The rest of the Rangers spot their window and begin to rush forward, throwing grenades as well. Scrambling, she manages to shoot most of them out of the air and ducks when the rest explode all around her. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to hit all of them with the MG-42 before they overran her, she has no choice but to relay on her ability.

Her eyes begin to glow a deeper shade of red and the air all around begins to simmer. The Rangers see that and begin to falter. Reisen increases the power of her gaze and forces them to stop completely. Then the worst possible thing happens.

Reisen begins to feel something affect her. She begins to feel extremely agitated and depressed. Memories of her last time on the battlefield replay themselves in her mind. The logical part of her mind knows that somehow, she's being affected by her own power. It triggers serious alarms, but she's powerless to do anything about it. Almost as if by itself, her body begins to move forward. Grabbing her rifle, she charges forward with bayonet at the ready.

Reaching the nearest Ranger, she kicks him the stomach and slams her rifle into the side of his head. Hearing a loud crack, she steps back and stabs him in the chest. Spotting another, she raise her rifle high and brings it down hard on his helmet butt first. It leaves a deep dent and she finishes him off by punching him in his throat. The rest of the Rangers are stumbling around, badly affected due to her ability.

A part of her mind recognized that she was suffering from an attack of shell shock. She couldn't stop herself, no matter how hard she tried. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a Ranger bring his rifle up. Reacting instantly, she pulls back and throws her rifle. It flies true and impales her target through the heart. Pulling out her knife, she grabs her next target.

Locking his arm into a bar, she brings her elbow down on it. It cracks loudly and bends at a sickening angle. Then she swiftly cuts him in the throat. Throwing the body to the side, she doesn't slow down to clean the blade. She jumps forward, slamming her shoulder into another of her enemies. A quick cut to the throat and the stomach sends him to the ground. Remembering the MG-42, she retrieves it and holds the trigger down.

The machine gun keeps firing and firing as Reisen walks slowly forward. She doesn't even bother to keep count of how many Rangers she's taken down but she notices all of the bodies that are everywhere. A loud click is heard from the machine gun, signaling that she's out of ammo. That breaks the frenzy that she had given up on.

Dropping to her knees, she slowly looks around her. Not one Ranger was left alive in the clearing. An entire company of the some of the best soldiers that NATO could send had been wiped out by one former member of the Lunarian Defense Corps. But it wouldn't be fair to forget that she had gone into a frenzy during the battle. She knew that she had to kill to protect her home and loved ones, but she never wanted to do it like this. Picking herself and the MG-42 up, her legs are shaking too much for her to stand steady.

She has to take a few seconds to get herself together and gets her rifle back. Opening the bolt, she notices that she's empty. Her hand shakes as she reloads and she makes her way back to the bunker. Climbing in, she silently reloads the machine gun. The whole time, she had not noticed that the radio was still on.

"-incoming, I say again, American Green Berets have been spotted near the Bamboo Forest! They're believed to be after our leaders, mainly Yukari, Eirin, and Eiki. Do not engage them alone!"

Reisen tensed up, she was in for another hard fight. Her biggest fear wasn't dying anymore, it was going into that frenzy and never coming out. Her knuckles turn white when she grips the machine gun and sights downrange. For the next few minutes, she's staying deathly still.

At the far end of the clearing, bushes begin to shake. Then a figure slowly moves out in front of the bush. A few seconds later, more figures move out, their weapons at the high ready. One near the front has a tube slung from his shoulder.

Switching to her rifle, she aims for him. She squeezes the trigger and watches the red blur go straight through the man. He's flung a few feet as his comrades scatter to find cover and return fire. Taking up the machine gun, she puts suppressive fire downrange. Flinching as bullets hit all around her, she tries to hold them off but can't keep the side elements.

She can feel the agitation and depression start to build up again. She clamps down on it, this time trying to distance herself from the fight. Keeping count of how many rounds she had fired, she knows that she's about to need to reload. Quickly grabbing for another drum, she takes pulls out a Mauser C96 and shoots at the nearest Green Berets. She grabs the ammunition but has to slam it down on the head of a Green Beret that had jumped into the bunker.

Dropping the drum, she spins the man around and uses him as a shield as she fires even more rounds. Now with all of them out of cover, she can count ten of them. Her pistol only has seven rounds left, so she decides to hit their weapons instead. With her sidearm out of ammo, she takes her shield's sidearm and shoots the rest of the weapons, but it jams before she can take any of the operators down.

Dispatching her shield with a quick neck snap she throws him into one of the other operatives. The others rush forward and try to overwhelm her. Reisen crouches a little, adopting a boxing stance. The first one to reach her tries to tackle her but she holds him back easily. Leaning to the left, she makes him stumble and elbows him in the back of the head. He instantly goes limp, leaving the moon rabbit to dodge the fury of punches from the next one.

She dodges the punches and then throws a few of her own. Each of them connect, and they all make cracking noises. Her target gets disorientated, making the final punch to the temple easy to land. Hearing steps from her left side, she throws out a kick that catches her attacker in the throat. He falls, and begins to make gurgling noises. Reisen puts him out of his misery with a hard kick to the side of the head.

A glint of light was the only warning that she had of the knife that she barely had time to dodge. It misses her eye by less than an inch causing her to jump back. The Green Beret presses the attack, giving the rest of them a chance to surround her. Now, she was being flanked by five of the operatives while dodging knife slashes from a sixth.

Three of them rush in at the first time, leaving her with no chance to escape. So instead, she drops to a knee and sweeps her leg all around her. The quick move knocks all of them down, leaving the last three to charge in. She lunges at the one directly in front of her. He tries to bring his knife up but she knocks it out of his hand.

Before he lands on his back, Reisen has her knee on his stomach and her elbow on his throat. When they hit the ground, the force of the impact and the knee on his stomach causes his body armor to shatter. Then she pulls her knife and stabs him in the stomach. Rolling off she dodges the kick that was aimed at her head.

One of them stabs forward, causing the moon rabbit to dodge again. But she stumbles on the third step. She can't jump back enough to avoid the knife and gets cut on her cheek. She immediately grabs the knife and turns it back on its wielder. Then she twists it and throws his body to the side.

Everyone in the area is thrown on the ground when another low flying aircraft, this time an A-10 Thunderbolt II, goes right over their location. Then another SU-47 flies after it, pouring machine gun fire downrange. Reisen's hearing rings as she gets back on her feet while the operatives had trouble doing the same thing. She takes the opportunity to take down two more by stabbing them in the throat.

Now with only two left, she's going on the offensive. Getting in close to one of the operatives, she unleashes a punishing barrage of punches that leaves no room for defense. She hits with enough force to break his body armor and his helmet. Then she connects with a devastating uppercut that shatters bone.

A shot rings out and Reisen feels something hot burn into her arm. She instantly feels light headed due to her sudden decrease in blood pressure. But she still has enough determination to spin around and make her hand into a gun shape. Then a bullet flies from it and hits the last operative in the face.

With the last operative down, she inspects her wound. It seems to be light but it will affect her ability to fight. Making her way back to the bunker, she begins to search for the first aid kit. But before she can get far, a rain of bullets hits all around her.

Looking at the clearing again, she sees more Green Berets and now they brought along Spetsnaz troops. The amount of bullets that they put down around her block her vision. Reisen reloads the machine gun and gets into position to fire.

She feels another bullet hit her shoulder and spins her around. Pulling out her pistol, she sits against the wall. This wound was more serious than the first one since it hit an artery. Trying to slow down her breathing, she knows that she has only a last stand to look forward to. She can hear the soldiers getting closer and closer. Bring her Mauser up, she waits for one to get into her line of sight.

Her hand starts to shake and her vision starts to blacken. She tries to steady her breath, but it gets short and shallow. Feeling the sweat on her forehead, she knows that she doesn't have that much time left. The top part of a helmet begins to come into view. But she doesn't have the strength to pull the trigger.

The Spetsnaz operative trains his weapon on her, waiting for her to make a move. He keeps on getting closer and closer. With a sneer on his face, he begins to pull the trigger. But then he gets a shocked look on his face and falls forward.

The last things that Reisen sees before she blacks out is an arrow sticking out of the dead Russian and a blur of red and blue next to her.


	30. Chapter 30

Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo

Ever since the first element had stepped into the general vicinity of the Hakueri Shrine, they had to deal with the devastating attacks launched by Reimu. Instead of fighting in a conventional style, she had adopted hit and run tactics. The blunt of the damage had been received by the American 4th Infantry Division and the British 3rd Mechanised Division.

The fittest solider of either division couldn't keep up with the miko when she used her power of flight to get away from each ambush. And their morale was dropping with each attack as well.

Remiu was putting more effort into this than anything else in her life. She wasn't anywhere near the point of having to slow down. Her ammo was more than three quarters full and she still had plenty of grenades. As long as she kept them away from the stairs in front of the shrine, they wouldn't be able to fire on the shrine.

Running back after she had emptied another magazine and threw a few grenades, she notices a weird feeling in her stomach. Looking up, she can tell that somehow, the sky was different. But she couldn't figure out why. It was starting to worry her a lot. Deep down, she knew it had something to do with the barrier.

The sound of something large and metal began to get louder and louder. Quickly dropping to the prone behind a bush, Remiu sees what looks like a tank make its way through the forest. Trees are knocked down as it slowly moves forward.

Grabbing her radio, she tries to spot a weakness.

"Nitori, there's this thing rolling up here."

"What's it look like, Remiu?"

"It's got wheels, and a big gun turning around. The front looks like an arrow."

"Give me a minute…wheels and an arrow front…that's probably it. Looks like we got Strykers. They're personnel carriers. They can take a good amount of damage before they stop. Do not let them get up the hill!"

The armor looks strong, so Remiu takes out one of her grenades. This one is not one of her special spell card grenades, but just a regular magically enhanced one. She throws it and it lands on top of the vehicle with a loud clunk. The machine gun mounted on the top turns to face her and begins to fire a storm of bullets at her. Narrowly dodging a bullet, the miko turns and breaks contact.

The grenade goes off in bright red explosion. Since it was magically enhanced, what happened next was a total surprise to the crew. The force of the blast destroyed the suspension and slammed the vehicle into the ground so hard, it was buried half a foot. Looking back, Remiu sees that the machine gun was obliterated by the blast. Turning around, she charges forward and lands on top of it.

Being careful to avoid the sharp shards of metal created by the explosion, she takes a knee and wait for the door to open. After a few seconds, it drops down with a loud clang. 9 soldiers stumble out, moving to set up security. Reimu opens fire on them from above, taking them all down before they can react. Jumping down, she enters the vehicle and takes down the two crew members.

Dashing out of the wreckage, she can see explosions nearby. Flying into the tree line, she can barely make out a mortar team moving towards the shrine. Bullets suddenly start to come close to her, a hint that she should probably get closer to the ground.

Dropping behind a tree, she looks for the source of the bullets. Seeing a squad taking defensive positions a few hundred meters away, the miko runs to the side. Catching sight of her flanking maneuver, they begin to fall back while covering each other. One of them is hit by a red bullet and flails back. He's grabbed by one of his comrades and is dragged back.

Encouraged by her lucky shot, she continues to fire at the retreating men. She hits another and slows down the entire group. Moving forward, Remiu keeps dashing to avoid the return fire. But then the hair on the back of her neck start to stand on end, causing her to run back. She barely has the time to throw herself into the prone before an entire company opens fire on her. Immediately grateful for the small hill that she was hiding behind, she was angry for almost walking into that trap.

Rolling to her side, she opens fire with her M4. She keeps firing until she hears a click then rolls back and reloads. But she forgets how many magazines she has already gone through and almost burns herself when she puts her hand on the handle guard. Pulling out her sidearm, she fires until she get a jam about 4 rounds in. It's a tight jam, not something that she'll be able to clear before she gets overrun.

She's low on grenades but has two aces still up her sleeve. Hesitant about the prospect of using one of them, she's forced to play her hand when the entire company charges. Pulling out her most valuable spell card, she activates it.

Remiu begins to float, even as bullets hit where she's at. But the bullets go straight through. Seeing this, the soldiers stop and begin to concentrate fire on her. Even with so many rounds aimed at her, none of them hit. Some of the troops begin to step black slowly, fear evident on their faces. A captain steps forward and begins to fire at her, but it still has no effect.

Orbs begin to orbit around her, filling up with every bullet that passes through her. They glow bright, causing the entire company of soldiers to turn and flee. But it was too late.

The miko raises her left hand and crosses her right one over her chest. Then she spins and spreads her arms out. The orbs explode, sending spell cards everywhere. They hit every soldier in the area, instantly sending them to the ground. A Stryker was moving forward to support the infantry when a hail of spell cards cut straight through its armor and causes a massive fire.

Concentrating on extending the spell's duration, Remiu started to pool all of her energy into it. Normally, she would had been able to attack indefinitely, but with the added power that she needed to make it lethal, it was draining her quickly. Over in another clearing, she can see a trio of Strykers fire at her. Gain altitude, she looks around for more targets. Before she forgets, she rains another barrage on the trio and moves on.

A loud crack sounds a few feet from her. On the ground an M1 Abrams tank had just entered a clearing a few hundred meters away and had its sights on her. In response, Remiu rains down spellcards on it, but is surprised when they barely make craters. She keeps on hitting it, but feels her energy being drained with each spell card. Lowering her altitude, she tries to figure something out.

She decides to cut the spell off before she gets exhausted and hurls the orbs at the tank. The orbs hit with a good amount of force and explode. Dust flies into the air, blocking her view of the tank. About a few feet off the ground, Remiu's energy gives out and she falls. She lands on her feet but falls backwards. Breathing heavily, she can barely lift her own hand up after she sits up.

Her heart drops when she hears a rumbling from inside the cloud. Slowly, the tank moves forward, but its armor is heavy damaged. With that amount of damage, Remiu could had broken through if she had another grenade. But she had used the last one and dropped her rifle earlier. And now, she doesn't have the energy to run away.

Even with the massive tank moving towards her, Remiu holds her ground. She still had her pistol and pulls it out. Looking down, she notices that the jam is clear. Pulling the slide back, she brings it up. The first round hits the tank head on but does no damage. She fires another but the same thing happens. At this point, she doesn't care and just keeps pulling the trigger.

Just as the last round hits the tank, it explodes. Hearing a whirling noise in the air, Remiu looks up and sees an AH-64 helicopter flying above. In the cockpit, Marisa gives her a tip of the hat and flies towards the heavier parts of the fighting, raining down magical bullets and missiles. The sense of relief is cut short when a heavily camouflaged Bradley IFV rams into the clearing.

The rear door opens and a team of six soldiers dash out. They take up a firing line and begin to march forward, weapons held at the high ready. All of them could tell that Remiu was exhausted and her pistol was out of ammo. The miko's arm had dropped the pistol next to her, causing them to be extra wary.

When they about 10 feet from her, they stopped. Before they could do anything else, a green blur came from the wood line. Everyone in the clearing turned but the blur was already in their midst. The highest ranking member of the team, a sergeant, lost his weapon when a slash cut it into two pieces. Now that the blur was moving not as fast, Remiu could recognized her rescuer.

Youmu Konpaku had used her ability of high speed to get in close enough to not worry about getting shot. She kept performing a graceful dance that ended with the entire team's rifles being cut in half. With the soldiers now getting themselves together, they began to try to overwhelm her. Youmu's ghost half rams into one of the soldiers with so much force, his neck is snapped.

The marshmallow keeps going and rams into the cannon on top of the Bradley, bending it at a 60 degree angle. Without the ability to accurately aim, the risk of friendly fire was too great for the IFV to take. Youmu dashes behind the group in the blink of an eye and swings her sword. The bullets that are created from the slash hit the soldiers, breaking through their body armor and killing them.

Now with no more chance of friendly fire, the Bradley accelerates forward, aiming to run over Youmu. The half human jumps on top of the vehicle and stabs right through the armor. Running to the front of the vehicle, she stops then slashes the front part off. The remaining part slows down than stops.

A few seconds go by and then Youmu runs to Remiu's side.

"Lady Yukari sent me to keep an eye on you. We need to get back to the Human Village." Youmu helped Remiu get back on her feet. "From what I heard on the radio, we're getting overrun slowly and some group calling itself the Secret History Association is pinning the villagers down.."

"I used up all of my grenades and spell cards," Remiu was having trouble breathing. "Fantasy Heaven took a lot out of me just now…"

"I saw everything. Don't worry, Lady Yukari said that she knows what to do."

Kappa Communication Relay Post, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo

A few minutes ago, Yukari had left the main room to take a call. Inside Nitori's office, Yukari was talking on the phone with a potential ally in the outside world.

"I will admit, Lady Yukari, that the evidence that the Americans gave us was suspect. The Federal Court has looked at everything concerning this matter, and most of them ruled in your favor. The Federal Council has also found merit in you stand."

"I'm pleased to hear that, Mr. President. But would that mean that Switzerland would be willing to become one of our allies?"

There was a short pause. "At the moment, I can only speak in support of Gensokyo for myself. But we are willing to open talks as soon as you can get those in charge together."

"I understand that the full Council must be in agreement. I would like to open the talks right now, but we are in the middle of a massive attack on our sovereign land."

"That's understandable. I wish you luck in pushing back that attack. But, hasn't NATO technically violated Japanese sovereignty?"

"From what our intelligence services have told us, the Japanese government has been providing support troops and an open borders treaty with NATO. They have enough problems to deal with at the moment, but even the smallest support hurts us. But I'm happy to see that the Americans' refusal to share their proof has made it possible for this lie to be exposed."

"Lady Yukari, if I remember correctly, the files that you presented at the UN, were those really from their CIA? And couldn't you have brought those captured soldiers in front of the entire assembly?"

"I may not be human, but I'm still respectful. Those soldiers did nothing wrong themselves, so I didn't see any need to embarrass them like that. About the files, yes, they were the originals, straight from the Director's desk. I also hid his television remote on my way out. From what I heard, he was angrier about the remote than the files. He missed the series finale of one of his soaps."

"Then why didn't you pursue this to the World Court? You had plenty of strong evidence against the US."

"Do you remember the case of_ Nicaragua v. United States_, Mr. President?"

"The case about the US arming the Contras? The court ruled with Nicaragua but the US blocked the judgment by using the UN Security Council."

"Exactly, Mr. President. The US basically controls the UN and the World Court, relying on them is useless. Any evidence that I brought to light wasn't for them, it was for all the nations of the world to make their own decisions."

"That was well played, Lady Yukari. The only problem that I can see is if they take too long to decide to join you."

Yukari was silent for a few seconds. "That's a risk I have to take. So far, we've been able to inflict massive damage on the invading forces, but they're starting to overrun us."

"Lady Yukari, excuse me if I overstep my bounds, but most of you aren't technically humans. Shouldn't that make up for the difference in numbers?"

"We youkai are much stronger and faster physically, but we can only take so much pain before we fall. Our White Wolf Tengus are our best fighters, but they can't hold off a modern regiment all by themselves. They would be able to inflict massive amounts of damage with their normal weapons. But those weapons are outdated, even if they are boosted by magic. And we haven't had to kill in battle ever since the Great Hakueri Barrier was created so long ago. That's why I given them weapons that are more lethal than just swords and brooms. I even taught them how to infuse their bullets with magic, making them instantly lethal. It gives us a fighting chance."

"But what about them using the weapons against your forces?"

"They would have to be able to use magic. From what I know about the outside world, the closest things you have to magicians are illusionists. Unless they can hurt us by making pigeons fly out of our hats, we're not worried about them. But may I ask one thing, Mr. President?"

"Yes, you may, Lady Yukari."

"What about the risks Switzerland takes by joining us? You're about the same size as we are, but you have managed to stay out of a lot of conflicts over the course of history."

"We're good at staying out of trouble. It's because we're always ready for a fight. During World War II, we shot down both Allied and Axis craft and got apologies from both sides. Nowadays, since our banks store money from various VIPs from around the world, a war would mean that those records could go public. That would be the last thing that some ministers or representatives would want."

Yukari bowed her head. "I salute you, Mr. President. Even I wouldn't had come up with insurance that solid. I am grateful that we're not enemies."

"Everything has its reason, Lady Yukari. I hate to have to cut this short, but I know that you have a battle to oversee."

"Thank you for your support, Mr. President. When will the Federal Council take the vote?"

"We'll be meeting later today. I should have an answer for you tomorrow night at the latest."

With that, the phone was hung up. Yukari stood there for a few minutes. Then she went to Nitori's desk and picked up a file. It was a brief on Switzerland. The gap youkai knew a little about the tiny nation but was thoroughly impressed when she was done reading.

If the Swiss Federal Council voted to join Gensokyo as an ally, it would mean that the story that the United States had given for the start of the war was false. And the Swiss would be able to tie up some of NATO's troops, giving the GDF a little more space to breathe.

But that all hinged on them surviving the current battle. Looking outside the office, Yukari can see that the blue rectangles are slowly being pushed back by the mass of red rectangles and triangles. Above everything, the fur ball above the Hakueri Shrine had expanded to cover half of Gensokyo. The barrier was still up, so at least they didn't have to worry about artillery.

Yukari knew that she still had something else to do, so she opened up another of her gaps and stepped through.

Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo

Tenshi was still going over the conversation with Iku. Just the way that the messenger had told her to be careful of the Dragon Palace had made her question the scroll that she received. But then her cell phone began to vibrate. She had received a text message from Ran. Reading it, she sighed in relief, happy that she wasn't wrong this time.

Hearing someone land behind her, she looks back to see Iku. She has another scroll and an agitated look on her face. "Eldest Daughter, the Dragon Palace is still buzzing about your actions. But the Dragon is starting to become displeased with your inaction."

"I can't order the artillery to fire. The risk for friendly fire is too much."

"I know, but the dragon won't listen to any of us. Here's another message from him."

Iku holds it out, waiting for Tenshi to grab it. The Celestial grabs it and breaks the seal. Reading the contents, her eyes narrow.

"What is this? Does he really expect me to do this!?"

The oarfish took a step back at the level of anger in Tenshi's voice. Crumbling it into a ball, Tenshi throws the trash down the mountain.

"That's not going to happen. I don't care how important it is, but it won't happen."

Iku was confused, "Eldest Daughter, if it's an order from the Dragon Palace, you-"

"I am not going to withdraw my forces just to protect the Dragon Palace! What about everyone else on the ground fighting for their lives and everyone they care about!? As a Celestial, I have to be able to take the best course of action for everyone! I will not withdraw my artillery just to protect the lazy in their ivory towers!"

Iku had to turn away to keep herself silent. Then a gap appeared and Yukari walked out.

"I was just around and…oh my, am I interrupting something?" Yukari looked from the oarfish to the Celestial.

"I should take my leave. Eldest Daughter," Iku bows slightly towards Tenshi. "Lady Yukari." Another bow, this time towards Yukari.

"Always a pleasure to meet with the Dragon Palace's messenger," the gap youkai returned the gesture with a nod. With a sharp turn, Iku stepped off and took to the sky, heading back to the Dragon Palace. This left just Tenshi and Yukari to stand in silence until the younger woman spoke.

"You had more plans for me when you got me this job, didn't you," Tenshi made it more of a statement than a question. Yukari looked her dead in the eyes.

"I'm sure that Iku has already warned you about the political climate at the moment. She's one of the few people that saw the crumbs for the evidence that it is. And her position at the Dragon Palace lets her know more than most others." Yukari looked like she was staring into Tenshi's soul. "It's clear that you know something's wrong. But you're not the only one. Those in charge of making all of this happen know as well. I'll give you this warning: watch everything around you."

Tenshi could only stare back, that was the same warning that Iku had given her before. But she couldn't stop herself from asking the question that was nagging at her. "Who's behind all this and what do they want?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't say anything about that right now. I told you all I can for the moment. But I would like for you to answer a question for me."

After all that had happened, Tenshi still didn't know what all of this was about. Remembering Iku's warning, the Celestial nodded her head.

Yukari leaned in close, now she had a deadly serious look on her face. Tenshi almost flinched at the youkai's change of aura. It was way worse than the time the Hakueri Shrine was destroyed.

"Should anything happen against the best interests of Gensokyo, would I be able to count on you to stand by my side? Even if the threat is from within the barrier?"

It took a few seconds for Tenshi to understand what Yukari was asking. Everything was pointing to only one conclusion: Yukari Yakumo was planning to overthrow the Dragon.


	31. Chapter 31

Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo

The shrine was exactly what Maribel and Renko was expecting. A traditional Shinto temple, it had the aura of home. Even with the sounds of gunfire and explosions all around, the pair still felt a sense of comfort as soon as they passed the gate.

Reaching the donation box, Maribel found it weird to see not a single coin in it. And now that they were closer, they could see that the shrine was a little run down. Renko was a little hesitant to go in, but followed Ran and Chen anyway.

The nekomata disappears in the back room and returns moments later with two AR-15s. She hands them to Maribel and Renko and goes back to get ammo. Ran pulls out a spell card and begins to cast its incantation. Seconds later, a hazy barrier covers the shrine grounds.

"That should keep their artillery and heavy fire off of us for a little," Ran looks around. "We're going to have to hold the shrine until the rest of the GDF can regroup and come back."

The radio buzzes to life with activity, "-the line, I say again, hold the line! White Wolf Tengus, take out the satellite technicians and the field grade officers! Black Crow Squadron, keep those Warthogs away from the Shrine and the Village! Any Oni near the Misty Lake, armor is your priority!"

"Damn, we're starting to break. We have to hold the line here," Ran pulled out her cell phone and read a text message. "Somehow, they're getting past the shrine and attacking all over Gensokyo. We need to stop them here before they get to a really bad target."

Ran motioned Maribel and Renko to follow her and led them to a pair of bushes overlooking the stairs to the shrine. Finding a few good sized rocks, she picks them up and tosses them in front of the foliage.

"Uses these as cover. You have modified AR-15s but since neither of you can use magic, it won't make any difference. Stay behind the rocks and remember the fundamentals of marksmanship: firm grip, sight picture, breath control, trigger squeeze, and follow through. Keep those in mind and you'll be alright. Chen and I will be defending the sides so don't think that you're alone. Good luck."

Ran turned and rushed to join Chen. Renko inspected the rifle, seeing how it operates. Maribel had a wary look on her face, wondering if she would be able to kill anyone. Then they both get in the prone and adjust the rocks in front of them. Once they were ready, they waited.

The pair knew that they had the advantage since they were on top of the steep hill that led up to the shrine. But they knew better than to get careless. Renko looked over to Maribel, making sure that she was alright. The magician was nervous, afraid that she would get her or her best friend killed.

On the left side of the clearing at the foot of the stairs, the bushes started to move. Poking his head out slightly, a solider was on a knee looking up the hill. The physicist heard a sharp intake of breathe from Maribel. Calming her own breathing, she focuses on the soldier's center mass. Gripping the rifle and pulling it back tightly, she aligns the front side post over his slowly moving form.

She lets out a slow breath and waits until she's out of air. Then she squeezes the trigger and the rifle burst to life. The bullet travels through the barrel and flies into the soldier's neck. He falls back, clutching at his wound. Renko flinches as the return fire hits the rocks in front of her and Maribel.

Thinking about her first kill, the physicist can't help but feel a sense of pride at her shot. It was at least 250 meters away, and she had hit her target in an unarmored spot. She may had hit high but her target was still down. Rolling to the side, Renko can see that a squad had moved to defensive positions and were trying to retrieve their fallen comrade.

Maribel steels herself to fire on the soldiers. Crawling to a spot where she can see down the hill, she spots a fire team trying to climb the hill through the trees. Aiming for the leader, she closes her eyes and pulls the trigger. The bullet hits the ground in front of the leader. Reacting instantly, they scatter and race for cover down the hill.

Behind them, Ran and Chen were facing off against a troop of British soldiers. The pair were moving from cover to cover as fast as they could, sometimes dodging bullets by less than an inch. It was obvious that the kitsune was concentrating fire on the ones that were aiming for Chen, but the nekomata didn't say anything. Then a squad with a L43A1 general purpose machine gun arrived and pinned the youkai down.

Forced to take cover behind a thick tree, Ran pulled out another of her spell card grenades. Throwing it in the midst of the clearing, it goes off. The soldiers jump away but Shikigami "Hermit Fox Thoughts" takes down most of them. The rest of them flee from the spell card, doing their best to bring their wounded. Chen follows suit with her own grenade, Hermit Sign "Phoenix Egg".

In the sky above the shrine, cruise missiles were starting to make it past the barrier. One was shot by a tengu pilot and exploded in a large flash. Maribel and Renko had to drip their heads to keep from being blinded from the flash. When she looked up, Renko could see another fire team rushing to get to a group of trees halfway up the hill.

Aiming for the one with the machine gun, she pulls the trigger. The shot goes wide and hits a rock. The rebounding bullet then stops when it meets another solider down the line. Seeing this gave Renko an idea. Pausing to calculate a few things, she smiles a little when her eyes follow a path she likes. Firing another round, she can see the sparks on the rock that she deflects the round and sees an officer in the back clutch his leg and fall.

Maribel had decided against killing anyone. She was going to have to force them to stay back by laying down suppressive fire. Focusing on a squad that was moving forward, she aims for the ground directly in front of them. They move back to cover, keep them from getting a better position. Then the magician sends another round downrange, this one narrowly misses another soldier's face.

The pair kept firing, holding off the attacking troops for the next ten minutes. Maribel's side of the hill had no dead or wounded, just a platoon of terrified soldiers. Renko's side was littered with the bodies of the dead and wounded, even if they were behind cover. Ran and Chen had taken an entire company out and were facing two more.

Throughout the holding action, Maribel's headache had begun to get worse and worse. During the times when she had to reload, she snuck a look at the sky. The cracks in the sky had begun to grow wider and spread. She had also begun to feel a pain in her heart. But she still kept firing, determined to protect Renko's side.

On the other side of the pathway, Renko was reloading. She could tell that her best friend wasn't aiming to kill or wound. But that meant that eventually, they would overrun her side. Shifting to the side, she shoots an assistant gunner that poked his head out from behind a tree.

The rest of the soldiers stop trying to rush forward and concentrate on returning fire. Renko senses something amiss and begins to look around. An explosion hits about half way up the hill, making her jump. Looking to the tree line, she sees an entire company had arrived. There were a few soldiers armed with M203 grenade launchers, and they were aiming at the pair.

Renko sees one that is done reloading and is getting his sight picture. Not wanting to risk getting a grenade to the face, she moves her front sight post over him. She pulls the trigger at the same time he does. The bullet is faster, hitting the grenade before it's fully out of the tube. The resulting explosion engulfs him and every soldier near him.

Amazed by the shot she had just made, Renko aims for the other grenade launchers. She counts at least 8 more of them, each aiming at her. Maribel shoots at them, attracting their attention. One of them begins to sight on her when Renko deflected a bullet off another soldier's helmet into his throat. On his way down, his launcher goes off and hits a small group of soldiers hiding behind a tree.

Off in the distance, the pair could see another company move in to reinforce the first. Renko can't help but groan as the odds keep turning against them. Maribel doubts that she can keep on forcing the attackers back without killing them. They both hope that something would happen to change the tide.

Outside the Hakueri Barrier

Ever since the battle started, it was easy for the White Wolf Tengus to pass the line of battle and hide near command posts. Every so often, they would do a quick raid and hide in the forest, putting the command staff on edge.

The hit and run attacks hadn't appealed to Momiji, so she just stayed in the forest and sniped random members of staff. Her H&K MSG90 was the perfect complement to her sharp eyes. The FOB that she was targeting was starting to call in reserve units, so the tengu had to keep moving.

Catching sight of a solider with an eagle on his chest, she recognizes him as a full bird colonel. Dropping to the prone, she quickly calms her breathing down and takes the shot. He's thrown back as the bright red bullet shatters his body armor. The guards start to fire into the forest, hoping to get lucky and score a hit on Momiji.

Seeing that she's caused all the confusion she can at that spot, the white wolf moves back into the forest. She remembers another FOB around the area and decides to wreak havoc there. Moving through the forest silently, the sounds of gunfire and explosions were all around. Then her ears hear footsteps in the area. Quickly dashing behind a tree, she stays perfectly still.

About 100 meters from her, a small squad of military police were arranged in a wedge formation. They held their weapons at the high ready and were visibly unnerved. Waiting until she had the right angle, she held her breath. She fires, taking down half of the wedge with one shot. Nodding in satisfaction at her perfect shot, she had to move to avoid the return fire.

Taking a knee behind a small mound of dirt, she fires two more shots. Now the only one left, the surviving solider turns around and runs. Momiji aims for him but spins around before she can squeeze the trigger. That action saved her from having an AK-12 slammed into her back. Her rifle took most of the blow from the attack and gave her the chance to analyze her situation.

A lone Spetznaz operative had managed to sneak up on her. He was putting all of his weight on the weapon, hoping to overpower her. But the tengu wasn't having any of that. She rotates to her left, letting the Russian lean too forward to counter her attack. Momiji knees him the stomach than rips the weapon from his hands after she drops her own.

He doubles over but manages to head butt the tengu, causing her vision to become blurry for a few seconds. She still throws a fury of punches, making the operative stumble back. He wraps his arms around her outstretched one and began to throw her. She lands hard but lifts herself up and sweeps his feet out from under him. Landing on his side, he scrambles to pull out a baton as Momiji kicks at him.

As soon as Momiji's kick connects, she feels an electric shock course through her body. The operative had manage to hit her with a stun baton, but had shocked himself in the process. The pair kept on getting shocked until the baton shorted out. They both struggle to pull themselves together, wanting to get the advantage. Reaching for her saber, she has it halfway drawn when she finds herself getting another shock.

She manages to break free of the electricity by slamming the pommel of her saber into his stomach. He starts to wheeze, giving Momiji the chance to recover. Two seconds later, she's on the attack. Grabbing hold of her saber, she charges forward and elbows the Russian in the face. Then she slams her knee into his stomach, in the same spot as before.

His noise is bleeding from the elbow, some of it lands on Momiji's sleeve. Smelling the blood brought out her white wolf instincts, making her fight even harder. She hears more footsteps getting closer, so she grabs her opponent, spins him around, and uses him as a shield. His body is riddled with bullets from the Spetznaz troops that had just joined the fight.

Backpedaling, she looks around for an escape route. Bullets wiz all around her, keeping her moving. She pulls out a magic grenade and tosses it. It causes the others to scatter and gives her the opening she needed. Quickly throwing the body to the side, she dashes to her rifle and then hauls tail out of there. On the way, she puts a few rounds in the operatives.

The explosion throws them into even more confusion, as more red and blue bullets fill the air. Momiji is dashing through the trees when she's spotted by a platoon moving forward to reinforce the line. They shout and begin to pour fire at her. Flinching at all the close calls, the tengu doesn't bother to turn around and return fire. Taking flight, she's about to head to the higher levels of the forest when a burning F-35 comes too close for comfort.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she can see the black crow tengus locked in a deadly dance with the enemy air forces. Turning her radio on, she's immediately barraged with the traffic on the channel.

"TANK! TANK! TANK!"

"Move those fairies back, NOW!"

"Get that medic up here! Don't die on me, please don't die on me. We're going to patch you up and make you better."

"The left side's collapsing! Pull back, pull back!"

"There's too many of them! We can't-"

"We lost contact with the Forest of Magic team."

"Move that gun up here now! Hold them off while we pull out!"

"Get those mortars, they got us zeroed!"

Momiji speeds toward the Hakueri Shrine, the rally point that they had all agreed on beforehand. But before she can even get within half a mile of it, she's shot at by a battalion's worth of NATO troops. Changing direction, she decides to head for the human village instead.

"Momiji, this is Nitori, come in please."

"I'm here, Nitori."

"We've been trying to get ahold of you for a while. The other white wolves had to pull back when they got jumped by tanks. The Hakueri Shrine rally point's out for now, it's being attacked by at least two battalions. We need you to go to the Human Village and clear out the Secret History Association. They've turned against the village and have the defense force pinned down. If the shrine falls, that'll be their next target."

"What about the shrine?"

"Ran and Chen are holding them off while the rest of the GDF falls back to their rally points. They also found two humans that are keeping the majority of the attacker at bay by themselves. The village is higher priority."

"I'll be there."

In the distance, Momiji could see an attack helicopter rain down star shaped bullets on the ground forces that were trying to boost the attack on the shrine. Knowing instantly who it was, she felt a slight pain as she remembered getting Master Sparked during the feud between the two shrines. But the tengu had her doubts. Even with the magician's power and skill, it was impossible to hold off numbers that high forever.


	32. Chapter 32

Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo

The Scarlet Devil Mansion was being attacked by US Marine Recon troops that were aiming to destroy the air defense grid. But they had never expected the fight for their lives that the Scarlet Devil and her sister were giving them. And they weren't alone, with the Dog of the Devil, the Unmoving Great Library, and the Colorful Rainbow Gatekeeper all lending a hand.

When the recon units first tried to sneak up to the mansion, they stopped when a giant flare flew into the sky directly above the building. Then a bright red spear flew after it and hit it. The resulting explosion sent fireballs flying into the ground all around the mansion. The recon troops that were within the range of the impact zone were taken down immediately.

Before the dust could clear, rainbow colored bullets and silver knives flew out of the cloud. Taking down entire groups of Marines, the storm kept coming. The lucky survivors managed to find cover behind the trees some distance away from the falling flares. On the clock tower, Remilia was observing the battle with a stoic look on her face. She knew the reputation of the United States Marines, the "Devil Dogs", but she was confident that the Dog of the Devil was more than a match for them.

Inside the mansion, Patchouli and Flandre were casting another round of Royal Flare and Leviathan. The librarian shot the flare straight up, followed by Flandre's spear right after. A few hundred feet above the mansion, they collided, raining down fiery death. For now, that combination kept their attackers at bay and the air defense grid online.

Koakuma was administrating the grid, keeping the teams of fairy maids busy at all times. It was a complicated affair, spell circles would begin to dissipate after a short time, forcing her to split her attention between recasting and reloading missiles. The radio on the table kept her updated on the status of the overall battle, but didn't raise their morale with the news of the retreats.

An alarm began to go off, alerting them that a NATO aircraft was almost in range of their missiles. Quickly making her way to the map, Koakuma sees a flight of F/A-18s on their way to engage the SU-47s.

"We got another flight coming in! Hurry up and get those loaded! You, over there, get a lock and fire when you get a good shot!" Koakuma turned to the map again. "Where do they keep coming from!?"

The library began to shake again, meaning that another round of Royal Flare had landed. With the way that the flares were falling, they would have to time the missile launch perfectly. Keeping her eye on the map, Koakuma grabbed one of the books next to her. It was a spell book, one that concentrated on fire elemental magic. She was looking for a way to increase the missiles' speed, so they would be able to clear the flares faster.

Outside, a fire team of Marines had managed to get past the flares and were stacked up against the fence. They all flinch when the flares hit the ground behind them. Splitting into two groups of four, they began to prepare explosives to breach the wall. Once they were set, both teams ran away from the area and blew a hole in the fence. Quickly moving in before the dust could settle, they all halted when they could see what was in front of them.

In front of them, a young woman with short white hair stood ready. She wore a well maintained World War II era German Army uniform in a dark blue color. She held a Karabiner 98K and had a G36 slung on her back. A bandolier of knives was draped on her shoulder. But what had stopped the Marines was her eyes. Not a single man in either team could take their eyes off the blue eyed beauty in front of them.

One blink later, a hail of knives appeared in front of her and then flew towards the Marines. They were so shocked that they couldn't react as the knives rained into them. Once they had all fallen, Sakuya calmly walked behind a large piece of rubble and took a knee. Bringing her rifle up, she began to snipe any movement in the forest past the flares.

At the front gate, Hong Meiling was using her manipulation of chi to boost her speed and get in too close for the Marines to shoot. Taking down a sergeant with a kick to the side of the head, she spins around and punches a lance corporal in the chest, breaking his body armor and a few ribs.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see two of them bringing their weapons up. Meiling unleashes a crescent kick that sends rainbow colored crystals flying at them. With their weapons nothing more than twist pieces of metal, they draw their knives and charge in.

Even though she knew that she was fighting for her life, Meiling couldn't help but enjoy the battle. At least all she had to worry about was infantry, the tengu were taking care of the armored units that had tried to charge the mansion. The ground shook as flares landed and missiles were launched, somewhat annoying the youkai.

A bullet misses her head by an inch, causing Meiling to jump back. Looking out, she can barely make out the figure of a sharpshooter that almost hit her through flares and dust. Then she sees him go limp and hit the ground. Off to the side, Sakuya had made the shot that kept Meiling from getting killed or wounded.

But making that shot distracted the chief maid. If her reflexes were a millisecond slower, she wouldn't have been able to stop time fast enough. Turning around, she sees a bullet less than a foot away, stopped before it would had hit her. Moving to the side, she finds the source and aims. Letting time continue, she fires. The Marine on the other end of the rifle that was pointed at her only saw her disappear before a bullet came through his scope and then into his eye.

Sakuya pulled out another clip, sliding it smoothly into the internal magazine. She takes the stripper clip and puts it back into her side pouch. A Marine jumps out at her from behind some rubble, tomahawk brought up for the strike. Taking a step to the side, she dodges the strike and slams her rifle into his stomach. Then the chief maid pulls out a knife and stabs him between the shoulder blades.

Pulling out the knife, she calmly wipes off the blood on the dead man's clothes and takes up her firing position again. The diligence that she had shown in maintaining her rifle showed when she kept firing with no jams, each shot hitting an enemy in a kill spot. She didn't even have to boost her bullets' lethality with any magic, her marksmanship did enough damage.

The way things looked, the pair would be enough to hold the line. Then the Scarlet Devil decided to join in. Opening up the box that she had next to her on top of the clock tower, she pauses for a bit to admire the weapon in it. Loading a clip of five rounds, she brings up the Springfield 1903 rifle and aims for a figure with a machine gun. She fires, sending a large red beam of magical energy flying towards her target.

It hits the man in the heart, instantly killing him and flinging his body into the rest of his squad. Remilia was impressed with the shot, Gunghir was a perfect choice for her. She could see that every eye was on her, so she kept up the performance. Since she didn't have to worry about accuracy that much, she just squeezed off quick shots.

As soon the bullets left the barrel, they curve in flight to go after their targets. Each time the Scarlet Devil pulls the trigger, a life in ended. Her ability to manipulate fate didn't apply here, all that mattered was her will. If she intended for anyone on the field of battle to die when she pulled the trigger, Odin's divine spear make it happen. Even the most battle harden veteran was starting to feel the sensation of fear as the bullets rained down on them.

Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo

The 1st Armored Division had been pushed back from the Scarlet Devil Mansion by the GDF's air support and were trying their luck in getting closer to the shrine. Then they ran into the Tiny Dowser General.

Nazrin was running towards another spot of heavy fighting when she ran into a lone M1 Abrams. Even though she was supposed to be performing medical duties, but she couldn't flee now. Running towards the tank, she calls up all the field mice in the immediate area. They being to rush out of their holes, almost invisible to the tank crew.

Once they were close enough, the mice began to launch themselves on top of the treads. The ones that landed moved quickly to avoid being flung off and crushed. They made living ladders, allowing their comrades to climb inside the tank. Once they were inside, they attacked the crew and forced them out.

With the crew out in the open, the rest of the field mice jumped them. After a few seconds of complete chaos, the entire crew was down and the M1 was empty. Nazrin jumps into the tank, followed by a large group of mice. The rest return to their nests, happy that all of them made it.

Organizing the mice into teams, they were able to get the tank moving. After a few minutes of getting used to the controls, they were off. Coming across another lone tank, they fire a direct hit that disables the vehicle. Since the attack was so fast, there wasn't any chance for them to get a warning out. Now with armor of their own, the GDF had better odds for the defense.

Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo

For the Rangers and Spetsnaz that were still left after the initial attack, it all went downhill. With her apprentice wounded, the old Lunarian officer came out in Eirin. Every time the remaining Rangers took a step, they were mercilessly attacked by an angry doctor. And it wasn't the same attack twice. Traps were going off left and right, arrows were taking down every officer that breathed, and explosives were going off in the middle of tactical formations.

With the wounded Reisen entrusted to Kaguya and Tewi, Eirin was able to taken on two battalions of Special Forces troops by herself. And what sent fear into their hearts was the fact that the lone doctor was winning. They had never faced an enemy that was so skilled and so determined in their entire careers. For every inch that they traveled forward, they lost half a squad. Reinforcements were beginning to arrive, but that only gave the doctor more targets.

A radioman had taken a knee and was trying to call in more support. Eirin hits him with an arrow that goes straight through and hits an officer next to him. The rest of the squad panicked and began to run in different directions, even with the sergeants trying to get them back in formation. A corporal had the bad luck of running right towards Eirin. She doesn't think twice about drawing her saber and cutting him down.

The scream from the dying man attracted another squad that was nearby. As they turn to fire on her, the doctor takes an arrow and infuses it with lethal danmaku. She shoots it into the middle of the squad, where it explodes and sends deadly red and blue bullets everywhere. The entire squad instantly goes down, leaving Eirin to disappear between the bamboos of the forest.

A fire had started near the outer edge of the forest, adding to the confusion all around. The thick smoke was being blown into the forest and started to reduce visibility. The odds were being stacked even more against the invading forces. Some squads had even broke from contact and leaving the battlefield as soon as they heard the swoosh of an arrow.

The reinforcing British troops had managed to set up a machine gun nest and had caught sight of Eirin. Firing nonstop, they filled the clearing with solid streams of fire. Dropping down to the prone, she prepares an arrow with one of her old spells from the war. Rolling on her back, she draws her bow. Going over the numbers in her head, she knows exactly where to shoot.

The arrow's released and flies true. It hits the back of the nest and explodes in a giant ball of fire. When it reaches the ammo cases, bullets are sent flying towards the soldiers to the sides. Taking advantage of this, Eirin jumps up and rushes into the middle of the closest squad. Her saber comes out and cuts down two of them in one fluid motion.

Turning around, the doctor slams the pommel into an officer's face, sending blood flying everywhere. Then she brings her knee into his stomach, ignoring his body armor being shattered. Grabbing the unconscious man, she throws him into another next to him. She draws her sidearm and fires a shot into a sergeant that was firing at her. The bullet goes straight through and hits another one behind him.

Grabbing a confused soldier, Eirin moves him in front of her. Using him as a shield, she starts forward, firing as she goes. Hesitant to fire on their own, the soldiers begin to move back and race to cover. Before they can reach safety, Eirin shoots all of them down. She puts one round in her hostage's head and runs back into the deeper part of the forest.

Finding a small trench near another patrol, she hops in and hides the top with a camouflaged sheet hidden in the hole. Reloading her pistol, she listens for the sounds of footsteps. Poking her head up slightly, she can see another squad arranged in the wedge formation heading across the clearing in front of her. A glint of light catches her attention, and lets her sit this attack out.

The compass holder is the one that triggers the trap, his foot tripping the wire strung between two bamboo trees. Half a second later, poisoned arrows are launched at the group, killing them within seconds of being hit. Eirin takes out a map that Reisen had made that highlighted all of the traps that were set. She was lucky that she hadn't triggered any herself.

Halfway out of the trench, she's forced back by a series of explosions that come from the entrance of the forest. An A-10 had been shot down and had crashed with its entire complement of bombs. From what Eirin knew about the forest, that explosion would cut off reinforcements for a while. It also added to the fires that were already going.

Picking up a radio from one of the dead soldiers, she decides to stir up the invaders. She takes a second to think about what she's going to say and then flips the setting to an open channel.

"To all invading forces, this is Eirin Yagokoro, former Chief Medical Officer of the Lunarian Defense Corps, former teacher of the Lunarian Royal Family, former Commander of the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot and the 1st Regiment of Royal Guards, and advisor to exiled Lunarian Princess Kaguya Houraisan. Veteran of the Lunarian Civil Wars, and the First Lunar War with more than 50 citations for bravery above the call of duty with extreme recklessness to loss of life or limb. I am the one that sabotaged the Apollo 13 mission assassination mission that started the First Lunar War. I am the one that has created immortality. I am older than humanity itself. You cannot kill or harm me, that is against the laws of physics and time itself. You are in my forest, looking to harm those that I protect. You have already wounded my apprentice. For that, I will throw all of you out of my forest. For looking to hurt the princess that I have promised my life to protect, I will kill every single one of you. I will find you and I will kill you."

Throwing the radio on the ground, she shatters it with one step and readies her bow and arrow. Firing it into the air, it explodes into a large flare. The flare was an old Lunarian method of marking targets for total annihilation. Every enemy soldier in the forest froze when they saw the flare, it was bright enough to overpower the sun. The green light casted an eerie shade all over.

Through every radio still in possession of the invaders, screams could be heard as Eirin got started fulfilling her promise. No matter how many of them joined up into large groups, they were still cut down by the lone doctor, suffering death brought by her arrows, magic, and saber. Even if they had managed to get a good shot, she was too focused to let it slow her down. Whenever a rare shot did hit her, she would finish taking down the squad and dig the bullet out, not bothering to apply a bandage before continuing. Her uniform would repair itself and cover the wound, giving the impression that she was untouchable.

The besieged troops began to call in requests for armor, but with the GDF air units destroying almost every vehicle in sight, they were on their own. Since Eirin had served in every branch of the Lunarian Defense Corps, she was trained in every aspect of warfare, and the long period of peace had done nothing to take the edge off of her skills. With a display of swordsmanship that would leave Youmu Konpaku jealous and begging for Eirin to be her teacher, the doctor ambushed an entire platoon of British soldiers.

Leaving one disarmed, she forced him to watch as the rest of his comrades were cut down. Then she pulled out a small dart and stabbed him in the leg. He falls on his side, withering in unbearable pain. Eirin kicks him the stomach, flipping him on his back. She holds her saber a hair away from his throat.

"Don't be such a weakling. The poison doesn't hurt that much, but you'll be dead within two hours. Get back to your commanders and tell them what happens when my home and family is threatened."

He's sweating profusely due to the pain, and Eirin's announcement had sent an obvious streak of fear into him.

"Please…you're a doctor…help me-"

"No. I'm a tired, former member of the Lunarian Defense Corps. Your rules of engagement mean nothing to me or my former comrades. I did not take the Hippocratic Oath. Be grateful that I am giving you this extra time to live, I'm sure that your friends would cherish that chance."

Turning around, she walked back towards another hiding spot that Reisen had set up. On the way, she could tell that the old Lunarian tradition of total war was still alive in her. She had come to respect the humans' customs of war, but knew that following them now would cause a lot of headache. Looking up, she can see the moon faintly in the daytime sky. In the back of her mind, one question had always been there ever since she had first met a human. Was the Lunarian culture of absolutes and purity really better than the human one of struggle and triumph?


	33. Chapter 33

Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon

On the parade ground in front of the Lunar Palace, the entire 4th Regiment of Royal Foot stood in formation. Reisen stood at the front of formation, her general staff behind her. Every one of her soldiers stood tall, prepared for what was coming. The formation came to attention when Yorihime and Toyohime appear in front of the mass. All 5,000 pairs of feet snapped together at the exact same time.

Looking over the regiment, a look of sadness could be seen in Toyohime's eyes. In her sister's, only a serious glint was present. Reisen knew that the odds were against all 5,000 of them coming back, and it was obvious the both the sisters knew. But, they had pledged to help their former master and had given everyone the chance to stay out of it. None had taken that option.

Toyohime had finished reading a file and handed it off to her younger sister. She takes a second to organize her thoughts and find the right words.

"The NATO forces have gained a fair amount of ground and are almost at the Hakueri Shrine. The GDF has managed to get air support but are getting overwhelmed. There are reports of medium to heavy casualties, straining their medical personnel. Master Yagokoro has entered the battle personally, after Reisen Udongein was wounded by American Rangers and Russian Spetsnaz Special Forces." She had to pause, a feeling of guilt gripping her stomach. "She has been evacuated from the battlefield and is undergoing medical care at Eientei. Master Yagokoro has been decimating their best soldiers by herself, leaving only their average ones. The 4th Regiment of Royal Foot will land just inside the boundary line of Gensokyo and sweep through the enemy posts. Since the Celestials have a mass of artillery sighted in, and they have a better record in preventing friendly fire, they'll provide fire support. The humans have vastly higher numbers than we do, but their troops aren't anywhere near your quality. Reisen, stand ready to deploy."

Reisen turned around and drew her saber. As one, the foot soldiers brought their rifles up and loaded while the officers and NCOs drew their own sabers. The general staff all dismounted their horses, the forest that they would be landing in would slow them down if they weren't on foot. Watching her horse be led away, Reisen hoped that it wouldn't be the last she saw it.

Next to her, the standard bearer had the regimental colors at the ready, with the streamers for the various campaigns of their history waving in the faint breeze. Reisen still felt that she wasn't ready to lead the regiment, even with both princesses' voicing their faith in her. Her first combat command was rapidly approaching.

"The barrier is still up, so hold your positions. Once that barrier is down, expect the humans to charge you after you land. Stay in formation and fend them off. They're too used to fighting each other to counter our doctrine. Follow the Lunarian customs of war, we are not party to the Geneva Conventions. Even if we were, some of the humans have been disregarding them."

A signaler ran towards the sisters, and held out a small communicator. Taking it, Yorihime listened and nodded her head.

"4th Regiment, stand by. The barrier will be falling shortly."

Reisen held a sharp intake of breath from everyone present. Even though they were elite troops, they all still felt a sense of fear. It wasn't about the battle itself, it was from not knowing how it would turn out. Checking her sidearm one last time, she tighten her grip on her saber. The moon rabbit champed down on her fear and waited for the signal to charge forward.

Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo

Maribel and Renko were still holding off the British and American soldiers when the magician begin to feel something happening. Looking up, she can see that the cracks in the sky had grown to massive sizes. Her breathing begin to pick up as well as her heart rate. The edges of her vision were starting to get blurry and she was getting disorientated. She could barely concentrate due to her headache getting worse.

Renko could tell something was affecting Maribel, but she couldn't move due to the amount of return fire that they were taking. She cursed at the shower of bullets that was hitting the path between the two of them. But she was feeling a sense of dread in her stomach. Shifting to the side, she began to aim at the soldiers nearest her, wanting to clear the air for a few seconds so she could move. If she knew what was going to happen, she would had moved immediately.

Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo

Yukari had returned from her trip to visit Tenshi and was watching the real time map. It was almost impossible to see, but there was glint of something that flashed in the gap youkai's eyes. She motions Nitori towards her and grips her umbrella tightly. Once the kappa was close enough, Yukari grabbed the microphone that was hooked into the communication network.

"All GDF forces, get to cover. The barrier is about to fall. I say again: the barrier is about to fall."

Nitori looked at the map, frowning at how far the NATO troops had gotten inside Gensokyo. And behind them, the red Xs were standing ready to fire.

"Is that it? Have we really lost, Yukari?"

"No, we still have a chance. But we need everyone to get somewhere safe first."

The kappa couldn't help but glance at the map, praying that Yukari was telling the straight truth this time.

Yukari had turned away from the map and disappeared into one of her gaps. A second later, she exits in her library. She goes to an ornate wooden box and opens it. Inside, an old book sat covered in a light layer of dust. Opening it, she flips through it. A harsh look can be seen in her eyes, followed by a lone tear.

"Here's where everything changes."

Putting the book into one of her gaps, her hand was trembling a little. It was time to alter the tide of the battle and the course of history. And to change one person's fate.

Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo

With Yukari's announcement, the entire mountainside became a frenzy of activity. Tenshi looked at the sky and could see the faint outline of cracks. Her stomach dropped when she could tell that they were getting wider. She hadn't given much thought to what would happen when the barrier would fall, and now regretted it.

Every Celestial was working to make sure that their calculations where right. If they were off by even a thousandth of a number, they risked a horrible case of friendly fire. All of the artillery cannons were loaded and ready to fire. All they needed was for the barrier to finally break.

Tenshi pulled out her Walther P38 and looked towards the Hakueri Shrine. She hated the fact that the fog of war prevented the Celestial artillery from targeting the infantry attack. But she couldn't risk the chance for friendly fire, no matter how perfect their calculations were. It was one thing that she learned from her father's assignments, that patience was a valuable trait.

Looking over to the map, she sees more red squares forming up on the other side of the boundary. The Celestial artillery could inflict massive damage, but even Tenshi doubted that they would be able to hold the line by themselves if it came down to it. But that wouldn't mean that she would fall back to the Dragon Palace just to protect the court.

If she had to, she would stay as the rear guard while the rest of the Celestials retreated. Tenshi checked her ammo one more time and looked back at the map. The red squares kept on multiplying, and were beginning to cut off and surround some of the blue ones.

The sky kept on getting more and more fractured, but still didn't break. Tenshi looked down at her cell phone, waiting for the message to finally come through.

Human Village, Gensokyo

The Secret History Association had decided to reveal itself when Mokou had left to patrol the surrounding forest. They had managed to capture an old shop and where trying to fight off the rest of the village militia. Keine had called them back, unwilling to take casualties. She was willing to wait until the Hourai immortal came back before she made any moves.

Outside the village, Youmu was helping Remiu get to the central plaza so she could be watched over by the schoolteacher. The miko was having trouble breathing and was still unsteady on her feet. The cold feeling in her stomach told her that this wasn't being caused by simple exhaustion.

Youmu looked up to see a SU-47 shoot the wings off of an F-22 and felt her eyes widen when she saw cracks in the sky. Everyone in the village stopped what they were doing when they saw the same thing. Mokou noticed it and rushed back to the village. On the way back, she ran into Youmu and Remiu. Helping the half ghost, Mokou led them to Keine.

Leaving the shrine maiden with Keine, Mokou walked straight towards the shop that the Secret History Association had captured. They begin to fire on her and she stops. Raising her hand up, she snaps her fingers. A spark springs to life and flies into the shop. Half a second later, the building explodes into fire. Turning around, Mokou rejoins Keine and the rest of the village militia.

The schoolteacher was looking over Reimu, she knew that the cracks in the sky had something to do with the miko's condition. Youmu had moved to the outside of the village, kneeling behind a cart. She was keeping an eye out for any uninvited guests. The villagers had joined her and were fidgeting behind their cover. Overhead, they could hear the aircraft of both sides locked in a deadly dance.

Remiu managed to catch her breath but was still weak. Her face was pale and her eyes was starting to have a glazed look to them. Keine had a villager run and get a moist washcloth to put on the miko's forehead. She wanted to call for Eirin but the doctor hadn't been in contact ever since a green flare had appeared over the Bamboo Forest.

"The barrier's starting to break. Yukari didn't tell me anything about this, but I felt it. Now how are we going to keep them back?"

Mokou shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. Yukari said that the Lunarians were going to help, but they haven't shown up yet. From what I hear on the radio, we're getting pushed back hard. I might be able to do a good amount of damage, Kaguya would too if she would get out of Eientei. But I doubt we would be to turn this around by ourselves."

A blur in the corner of Keine's eye made her spin around. She relaxed when it turned out to be Momiji. The White Wolf tengu had a bruise forming around her eye and she had a bloody nose.

"A group of Rangers ambushed me on the way here. And they had rocket launchers. I got all of them but they hit me with a tree in the face. Anyway, the Hakueri Shrine's almost overrun, but I heard we have two humans barely holding the line up there with Ran and Chen. And the barrier…" Momiji couldn't find the words to express herself.

"Yeah, the barrier…" Mokou looked at Keine, worried about her. "We won't be able to shake off that much artillery."

"We can't stop, even with the odds stacked that high against us. Lady Yukari said that she had a solution-", Youmu was interrupted by a loud shattering noise. It sent chills down everyone's spine and made their hair stand on end.

Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo

Renko was reloading when she heard the loud shattering. Immediately looking over to Maribel, her heart dropped when she saw Maribel's head fall and hit the ground hard. Completely disregarding the bullets being fired at her, the physicist sprinted to the magician's side. Landing hard on her side, she froze when she saw that the cracks had finally broken parts of the sky off.

Rolling Maribel over, she checks for any signs of bullet wounds. Finding none, Renko checks her pulse and breathing. It seems shallow and fast. Bullets hit the ground near them, making the physicist shield her. Grabbing Maribel's rifle, Renko returns fire while still shielding her best friend. She can barely hit anything due to the tears in her eyes and her hands shaking so much.

Moving back, she holds Maribel and puts her head in her hair. In her heart, she's begging for her best friend to wake up. Ran and Chen saw what had happened and were keeping the invading troops back. Shouting into her radio, the kitsune was trying to get a medic but all of them were too far away.

Even with all of this happening, Renko could fell something strange around Maribel. It seemed like time was simmering around her. But that wasn't a priority right now.

Then the ground shook and the air was full of high pitch whistles.


	34. Chapter 34

Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon

A loud alarm began to blare, making Reisen jump. Toyohime pulled out the communicator and listened for a second. Then she drew her fan and created a large portal.

"The time has come. 4th Regiment of Royal Foot, you are now clear to land in Gensokyo. Good luck."

Reisen nodded at the standard bearer and started to march forward. Slowly, the entire regiment followed her into the portal. For the first time, she was heading into actual combat on the frontline. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the portal. She kept her eyes closed, expecting a bullet to hit her as soon as she was out. Concentrating on the cadence that the drummers kept up, she kept putting one foot in front of the other.

It felt like she had been marching for the longest time. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in the middle of the forest. Then the sounds of the battle hit her. A SU-47 flew low over the forest, forcing her to crouch a little. Her general staff stayed in formation around her and kept their weapons at the ready.

The headquarters company was the next to emerge from the portal. They all kept moving, making room for the rest of the regiment. Then it was the first full strength company. Reisen looked at the communications specialist in her staff.

"Have you made contact with the GDF?"

"We're in contact. They say that NATO forces saw us arrive and want to meet us. There's a green flare above the Bamboo Forest."

"We'll have to hold them off until we're all here. Get the battalion commanders ready. And send half the regiment to investigate that flare after we get accountability. Get our riot shields up."

A few minutes later, the battalion commanders had their commands arranged in a perimeter around the staging area. Their lead rows had brought out riot shields that were reported to block NATO rounds. The second row held their rifles over the shields, ready to fire. Reisen kept scanning the woods, waiting for first contact. The more time that it took for the enemy troops to attack them, the more companies the regiment could get on the field.

A large explosion hit near the lead company, knocking down some of Reisen's soldiers. Then gunfire rang out, hitting the formation through the hole in their front. The moon rabbit's mind began to race. She noticed that their opponents were taking advantage of cover and concealment and were using weapons with wide impact areas and explosive force. The number of Lunarian soldiers that were being wounded kept rising, and the concentration of fire was having little effect.

Then light vehicles began to arrive, spraying machine gun fire at the formation. The Lunarian armor and shields managed to protect a good number of the soldiers but the amount of wounded began to increase faster. More explosions began to hit the regiment as mortar teams had finished setting up and zeroing in. With more of the shied bearers being knocked down, the rest of the regiment was getting downed.

"ALL BATTALION COMMANDERS, SWITCH TO LIGHT INFANTRY TACTICS!" Reisen yelled out, surprising her staff. Immediately passing down her orders, the battalion commanders rush forward into the forest. Raising her saber, she follows them. She had been counting on their line infantry doctrine to counter the humans, but it looks like they had underestimated them.

The first line of LDC troops had closed with the NATO troops and were mowing them down. Running behind the rapidly advancing line, Reisen was proud of how well her troops were fighting. The NATO soldiers weren't ready for such ferocity, most enemy kills were from rapid hand to hand combat than from bullets. Lunarian troops were taking no steps back, and they had stopped taking casualties. Back at the staging area, the rest of the battalions and companies were moving to the Bamboo Forest. Their medics were running from casualty to casualty, administering medicine. Eirin's advances in medicine were able to bring troops that were near death to perfect health with just one pill.

The first line of light vehicles were quickly overrun by small squads. They climbed on the roofs and were beating in the hatches. When the cannons began to move to track them, the Lunarians would bend the barrels to disable them. One squad was had finally gotten the hatch open and were pouring gunfire into the crew while another were grabbing the crew and throwing them off the vehicle so their comrades could shoot them in midair. One fire team had cleared a vehicle and were running over enemy troops with it.

The ground began to shake, making Reisen stumble a little bit. An American Sergeant First Class had got in close to her and was bringing his M4 up to fire. The moon rabbit closed the distance and knocked his weapon away with her saber. He draws his head back and head butts her, helmet and all. Reisen's vision goes blurry but she still keeps slashing at him with her saber. One hit cuts through his body armor, causing a large chunk to fall on his feet and unbalance him. This gives the moon rabbit the chance to run him through with her saber, all the way to the hilt. She kicks the body off the blade and charges at another sergeant.

A corporal was behind her and was reloading his magazine. Reisen grabs the sergeant and uses him as a human shield when the junior NCO fires. Throwing his body to the side, she blocks a strike from behind without even turning. Grabbing the arm, she breaks it and stabs backwards. A grenade goes hits the ground a few dozen feet from her, alerting her to the presence of a M203 grenade launcher. Shrapnel hits the corporal, letting Reisen look for the attacker.

Standing fully up, she calmly drew her side arm and fired two shots at the shooter. Off to the side, she could see a squad setting up a firing line. Rushing forward, she stomps on the first line that had taken a knee and jumped into the air. Swinging her saber in a wide arc, she cuts at least four necks. Pulling out a knife, she throws it and takes down a Second Lieutenant.

With a bayonet attached to his M16, a Private First Class had wanted to backstab her. The moon rabbit grabs the rifle by the handle guard and slams the butt into his jaw. The weapon goes off and hits another private coming at Reisen. Seeing more wanting to stab her, she swings the rifle one handed and hits three of them in the face. Using her momentum, she finishes by smashing in a Captain's skull and throws the rifle to the side.

A machine gunner fires at her, forcing her to jump into a ditch. Grabbing a grenade from a dead soldier, she sneaks a peek over a fallen log. About 200 meters from her, a M240B had been set up behind another fallen log and was pinning down her and some of her general staff. Seconds later, a second machine gun team set up next to the first. The amount of fire that they were putting down was sending splinters everywhere.

She doubts that she can get the grenade to that distance with just her arm, even with her background at pounding mochi with a giant mallet. Then she looks down and spots the regimental rope hanging from her shoulder board. Quickly taking it off, she ties the end into a net. Putting the grenade in it, she gives it a test swing. The sling holds good and she sees how to make it release. Remembering the briefing that she had received from the intelligence liaison before they had stepped off, she knows that she only has five to seven seconds. Reisen quickly thumbs the clip and pulls the pin. Standing up, she swings the sling in two powerful rotations and sends the explosive on its way.

Dropping down, a hail of gunfire flies through the spot that she had just vacated. The moon rabbit waits until she hears the explosion and then jumps out of the ditch. She covers the 200 meters quickly and stabs the two crews just to make sure that they are down. Then she cuts both M240Bs in half and moves to her next target.

Above the forest, Reisen sees the various types of aircraft that NATO and the Russians had sent in. An A-10 Thunderbolt II was sent crashing by a GDF SU-47 that then destroyed a trio of Sukhoi PAK FA fighters in one pass. She was impressed by the skill that the tengus had in air to air combat and turned her attention back to the ground. The rest of her soldiers had almost made it to the end of the forest and had captured an enormous amount of weapons and other sensitive equipment.

Then she heard a hail of gunfire from her side. The standard bearer was pinned down by a platoon that had been cut off from the rest of the NATO forces. From what Reisen could tell, the humans thought that capturing the standard would make the Lunarians fall back or surrender. But they didn't know that Reisen had no intention of being the first commander of a Royal Foot regiment to lose a standard.

Grabbing a fallen M16, Reisen takes a knee. She squeezes off a set of rounds that takes down half a squad and runs toward a rock. She slides behind it just as bullets fly towards her. Rolling on her side, she manages to squeeze off a few more with her sidearm before she has to take cover again. She tries to figure out another approach when she hears a light vehicle approach.

It was the one that her soldiers had captured. The NATO troops were stunned when it began to run them over. Reisen takes the opening and runs forward. She cuts one sergeant's legs from behind and stabs him in the back when he falls on his knees. Then she moves forward and kicks another one behind the knees. As this one falls back, she grabs his head in a lock and falls backward. She hears a crack from the impact and rolls to the side, pulling her sidearm out.

She sees one last soldier trying to make it to cover and shoots him. Looking around, she sees that the LDC has cleared the surrounding area. Running towards her communications officer, she reloads quickly.

"Anything new?"

"The Celestials have launched three volleys of artillery that have knocked out 95 percent of NATO's artillery. NATO infantry units are being sent towards us, they're trying to keep us from joining up with the GDF. Armor units are being held off by helicopters and the occasional fighter. The air is too thick with dogfights for us to fly. Master Yagokoro has sent an entire division, the American 4th Infantry Division, back to their rally point and has almost decimated an entire Spetsnaz battalion. She's not taking any prisoners or giving any of the traditional customs of war. She's also ordered our troops to head to the Human Village and hold the line there until we can rejoin them."

"Well, Master Yagokoro knows best. Get me accountability and get us a good map of the area."

Looking up, she can see the moon floating in the daytime sky. Her nervousness was gone, replaced by a determination to make her masters proud.

Parts Unknown, Time Unknown

She was still confused about the recent turn of events. Just the other day, she and Renko were almost done with their senior classes and getting their degrees. The last thing she remembered was the sensation of falling during the firefight at the Hakueri Shrine.

The scene in front of her was nothing like she had seen before. It was morning and somewhat hot. She was walking on a small path that went by a large white mansion. Maribel remembered seeing a house like that in one of her history textbooks.

Then she remembered: the American Old South. Off in the distance, she saw a pair walking on the path in her direction. Not wanting to be found until she figured out what all of this was about, she moves to hide behind a nearby tree. She puts her hand on it to steady herself but almost falls when it goes straight though. Her eyes widen at this and she looks around. Seeing a white tailed deer nearby, Maribel walks towards it. The deer doesn't notice her at all and keeps grazing.

Her mind races until she finds a plausible explanation. She settles for it being a dream and calms down. The pair is closer and Maribel is shocked once more. One of them is an older, distinguished looking man with a Southern Eastern American accent. The other is a young, blonde women in a dress that looked remarkably like hers and was holding a white parasol. She even looked like her, except that her hair was longer.

"Why, General Lee, I must say that I have enjoyed my time here. And I do want to apologize again for taking up your time."

"It was nothing at all. My wife and I have had a wonderful time during your visit and we would be happy to host you again any time."

The pair reaches a small patio and General Lee takes out a chair for the woman. He sit down and a junior enlisted Confederate soldier brings out a tray with two glasses and a pitcher of sweet tea. He pours each of them a glass and then moves back to a nearby tree and faces away from them.

"Forgive me, but you never did tell me the purpose of your visit."

The woman took a sip from the glass and pulled an envelope out. "President Davis has written a letter of introduction for me. I happen to have some information that would be helpful for the Confederacy."

"May I ask where you got this information?"

"I have my sources."

"You must understand that I am a little hesitant to trust you, even with this letter from President Davis."

"My information has always been proven to be correct. I did advise President Davis about the battles of Mile Hill, Harpers Ferry, and South Mountain."

"So you're the one that warned us about those disasters."

"Yes, I was the one. The information that I have may turn the tide of the war and grant the CSA the chance to become fully independent."

"You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention."

She pulls out another envelope and puts it on the table.

"This contains the perfect strategy for an attack at an area near Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek. Federal troops will be under General McClellan in the open. A decisive strike there will break the Union's will to fight. President Davis would like a copy to be signed by your adjutant general so that he knows that the strategy is in place."

"I'll have General Chilton sign it and deliver it to you right now."

General Lee motions to the soldier, who jogs forward and receives the paper from his hand. He runs towards another mansion and returns a few minutes later. He hands it back to the General, who gives it to the woman.

"President Davis should be happy. Is there anything else?"

"That was the only thing. I hope it wasn't too much of a burden."

"Not at all, Lady Yukari. You have provided an invaluable service to the Confederacy, and my home state of Virginia."

Before Yukari could reply, a courier arrives on horseback.

"General Lee, General Jackson has sent a report that you should see."

"Very well, could you get Traveller for me?"

"Yes, sir."

Turning to Yukari, he took her hand in his and kissed it. "It has been a pleasure, Lady Yukari. But the war calls."

"Yes, I understand."

He mounts his horse and follows the courier away from the mansion. The junior soldier comes forward to pour more sweet tea but Yukari raise a hand.

"No, I should be on my way. Thank you."

He takes both glasses and the pitcher and returns to the mansion. Once he was out of sight, Yukari pulls out the envelope. Putting it on the table, she pulls out three cigars and wraps a piece of paper around them. Then she puts them on the envelope and pulls out a book. She reads it and nods her head.

"To Frederick County, Maryland then."

She opens up a gap and steps through it, leaving Maribel standing there in amazement. She sits down, going through all the conversations that she had with Renko when she was taking her Military History class. Then she freezes in the midst of a realization.

Renko had talked about a battle in the American Civil War that was lost because a set of orders had fallen into enemy hands. Maribel could only remember parts of the conversation but was sure that the parts that she recalled matched up with what just happened.

But then another realization happened. The American Civil War had been fought in the 1860s, more than a hundred and thirty years before Maribel was even born. And she was sure that it wasn't re-enactors that she had been watching. And she was still bothered by how closely that woman resembled her.

Something else about that woman didn't sit well with Maribel. It almost seemed like she knew what was going to happen with certainly. And she was playing this situation for her own benefit. The idea of time travel popped into her mind, but she rejected it immediately.

Right now, she was more worried about getting back to Renko.

(A/N: Every named non-Touhou character was a real person during the American Civil War. Or at least that's what Wikipedia told me.)


End file.
